The Apotheosis of Washington & Lincoln

Family Albums of War: Carte de Visite Collections in the Civil War Era

The article by Christa Holm Vogelius emphasizes the role of family albums, particularly carte de visites, as a means through which people understood and recorded the experiences of war during the Civil War era.

The collection is housed at the University of Alabama.
It consists of leather and cloth-bound photograph albums from the 1860s and 1870s, totaling around a dozen albums of varying sizes and styles (some embossed, some plain).
Photographs Format: The albums contain cartes de visites—pieces of cardstock approximately 2.5 inches wide and 4 inches tall, featuring albumen images of posed individuals.
- Subjects appear with hair slicked back and expressionlessly neutral poses.
Many figures represented are anonymous or minimally identified, often with only informal inscriptions like “Aunt Maria” or “Uncle Paul”.
Closer inspection of albums reveals narratives that juxtapose personal portraits with broader popular culture imagery (e.g., artwork reproductions and wartime generals).
The collection also includes Alexander Gardner's “Sketchbook of the War”, highlighting both public and private aspects of the war narrative countenanced by these albums.

These albums became prominent as the Civil War commenced and allowed a middle-class audience to document their lives amid the upheaval of war.
Ellen Gruber Garvey’s perspective:
- Scrapbooks like carte de visites provide insight into the lives and thoughts of individuals who documented their experiences without formal writing.
Unlike battlefield photography, which became dominant through figures like Alexander Gardner and Matthew Brady, carte de visites allowed for a more personal narrative style.
These albums blended intimate portraits of family and friends with images of renowned political and military figures.

Despite their historical value, these albums pose difficulties for researchers and families trying to interpret content due to:
- The anonymity of many individuals featured.
- Fragility of materials; attempting to decipher inscriptions risks damage.
Questions of dating and story behind images often remain unanswered.

The albums function like ancestor of modern social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) by merging personal with popular imagery, yet possess a structured narrative.
Example of Narrative:
- The Perley E. Collings Album serves as a case study, illustrating how these collections look beyond photographic history, extending into themes of popular art's significance in daily life, domestic versus battlefield dynamics, and the enduring consequences of the war.
Collings’ album specifically aims not only to preserve history but also to ignite interest through its arrangement and selection of images.

Historical albums were designed to traverse private and public realms, creating spaces described metaphorically as “galleries of friendship and fame.”
Albums omitted this aspect (fame) risked reduced engagement. For example:
- In 1872, criticisms arose concerning albums featuring only personal photographs, which were deemed uninteresting compared to albums incorporating popular images (e.g., Niagara Falls, famous personalities).
Image Types: Common themes include prominent participants of the war and public figures of the day.

Title Page: Indicates compiler’s name and affiliation (14th New Hampshire Volunteers), completed in 1867.
Image Juxtaposition:
- Political figures (e.g., Union leaders) are placed near popular prints, increasing interpretative possibilities of the images concerning political and personal sentiments.
- Example Images:
  - Images of Union leaders (Winfield Scott, Ambrose Burnside, Benjamin Butler) followed by prints of Sir Edwin Landseer's works,