Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2015.

Harper's Ferry

Artist David B. Woodbury (American, 1839 - 1866)

DateOctober 1862

MediumAlbumen print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 17 1/4 × 22 in. (43.8 × 55.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 26 × 30 1/8 in. (66 × 76.5 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of David L. Hack and Museum purchase, with funds from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange

Object number98.32.213

Terms

U.S. Civil War
Men
Military affairs

Collections

Photography

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThe David L. Hack Civil War Photography Collection. This photograph shows two large cliffs on both edges of the frame, while down in center a railroad track extends from the foreground to the background. Near the center by the tracks there are three men, one boy, and a woman holding a baby. On the far left beside the pole is Mathew Brady. In the far distance some buildings are present.

Label TextDavid B. Woodbury American (1839-1866) Harper's Ferry, October 1862 Albumen print, 17 1/4 × 22 in. Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA Gift of David L. Hack and Museum purchase, with funds from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange 98.32.213 Harpers Ferry is located at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, where the states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. Because of its strategic location, it was the scene of much troop activity by both North and South, changing hands eight times during the war. A raid on Harpers Ferry is also recognized as a major catalyst for the Civil War. On October 16, 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown led a raid in an attempt to seize the Harpers Ferry arsenal, and use its large cache of weapons for a slave uprising. He was met with resistance and on October 18, U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee killed or captured most of the raiders. Brown was tried for treason, convicted, and executed. Not much information is known about David Woodbury except that he was a very talented photographer who worked for Mathew Brady (standing by the pole in the photograph) and later for Alexander Gardner. He died of tuberculosis a year after the war ended.