[The Wilderness Battlefield]
1864
![[The Wilderness Battlefield] by Unknown](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/met/ph/thumb/the-wilderness-battlefield-728494.webp)
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 12.8 × 8.7 cm (5 1/16 × 3 7/16 in.)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Museum Purchase, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.1254
Art Historical Context
Step into the grim reality of the American Civil War *[The Wilderness Battlefield]*, a poignant albumen silver print captured in 1864. This yet powerful image (12.8 × 8.7 cm) depicts the chaotic aftermath of the Battle of the, a brutal clash in Virginia's dense underbrush from May 5–7, 1864. Union General Ulysses S. Grant's forces met Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in a fight marked by confusion, forest fires, and staggering casualties—over 28,000 combined. As one of the earliest battlefield photographs, it offers a stark, unfiltered glimpse into the war's devast...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...