Origins, Continued

In its early stages, photography saw a limited number of applications, due in part to economic and temporal (the time required for exposure) factors. Under these circumstances, portraiture was one of the more common uses of the medium, with wealthy families paying to have their picture taken within the confines of a studio. Matthew Brady, along with a handful of competitors (e.g., Edward Anthony, John Plumb), saw the potential of the form as a commercial venture, and began to amass a collection of celebrity portraits to be exhibited in his galleries. With the arrival of "wet plate" technology in the 1850's, Brady sought to expand the range of his subjects, continuing to enhance his social status (which was very high) even as he began to lose control over his finances. The outbreak of war in 1861 presented Brady with an opportunity to recoup his earlier losses, and as McCandless (1991) notes, the focus began to shift from the faces of the rich and powerful (celebrities, political leaders) to images of battle. For the first time, conflict would be represented from an "objective" viewpoint.

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