Execution of Captain Wirz, Springing the Trap
Artist
Alexander Gardner
(American (born Scotland), 1821 - 1882)
CultureAmerican | Scottish
DateNovember 10, 1865
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsOverall, Image: 6 7/8 × 8 7/8 in. (17.5 × 22.5 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. (26.7 × 36.2 cm)
Overall, Support: 10 1/2 × 14 1/4 in. (26.7 × 36.2 cm)
Credit LineGift of David L. Hack and Museum purchase, with funds from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., by exchange
Object number98.32.264
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThe David L. Hack Civil War Photography Collection. This photograph shows the execution of Captain Henry Wirz C.S.A and reads along the bottom "springing the trap." In the foreground is a high wooden platform with a small stool and a man on top pulling the trap. A rope hangs down through the open door but the Captain is not seen in the shot. To the left side a wooden building with many windows is present. Men are collected below the platform watching as well behind the platform on a higher level. In the rear, there are rows of trees and a faint view of the Capitol building. This is from _Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War_ (Hack Collection No. 2].Exhibition History"Dark Fields of the Republic: Alexander Gardner Photographs 1859-1872," Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, September 18, 2015 - March 13, 2016.
Timothy H. O'Sullivan
June 20, 1864
