Reading the Death Warrant
Artist
Alexander Gardner
(American (born Scotland), 1821 - 1882)
Publisher
Philp and Solomons, Washington, D.C.
(American)
CultureAmerican
DateJuly 7, 1865
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsOverall: 6 3/4 x 8 3/4 in. (17.1 x 22.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 24 1/8 x 26 1/8 in. (61.3 x 66.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 24 1/8 x 26 1/8 in. (61.3 x 66.4 cm)
PortfolioIncidents of the War, Sic Semper Sicariis
Credit LineGift of David L. Hack and Museum purchase, with funds from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange
Object number98.32.12
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThe David L. Hack Civil War Photography Collection. This is a photograph of the Old Arsenal Prison. There are many guards lined up on the high wall in the background. In the center there is a wooden platform set up for an execution.This is from _Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War_ (Hack Collection No. 322).Label TextAlexander Gardner American, 1821–1882 clockwise from top left: Arrival on Scaffold, 1865 Reading the Death Warrant, 1865 Adjusting the Ropes, 1865 Sic Semper Sicariis (Thus Always to Assassins), 1865 Albumen prints (photographs) From the series Incidents of the War, Sic Semper Sicariis Published by Philp & Solomons, Washington, D.C. Roughly 1,000 people attended the execution of the conspirators in President Lincoln’s assassination. Most of the witnesses were soldiers, but they were joined by about 200 members of the general public, which included one photographer, Alexander Gardner. Arranged sequentially, his pictures document the last moments of the conspirators’ lives. For many Americans, these gruesome photographs provided comfort, visually confirming that Lincoln’s killers had been brought to justice. Gardner worked quickly, exposing at least 10 collodion negatives during the execution. He later selected four for publication on printed mounts, titling the group with the Latin phrase for “Thus always to assassins.” This is a rephrasing of the words allegedly shouted by John Wilkes Booth just after he shot the president, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” or “Thus always to tyrants.” Gift of David L. Hack and Museum purchase 98.32.11, .12, .13, .15 Exhibition History"An Enduring Interest: The Photographs of Alexander Gardner," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., Oct. 20, 1991 - Jan. 5, 1992. "Civil War Photographs from the David L. Hack Collection and Civil War Redux: Pinhole Photographs by Willie Anne Wright," Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photo Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, February 3 - October 29, 2006; Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington, NC, February 15 - May 28, 2007; Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV, July 26 - September 21, 2008 "Shooting Lincoln: Photography and the 16th President," Chrysler Museum of Art, February 10 - July 5, 2015. "Photographs Take Time: Pictures from the Chrysler Collection," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, April 6 - August 26, 2018.Published ReferencesBrooks Johnson, _An Enduring Interest: The Photographs of Alexander Gardner_, exh. cat., The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., 1991, 128.
