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 One of the finest photographs of a Civil War photographer at work shows Sam Cooley under the hood of his wet plate camera, which is mounted on a tripod on the far parapet of a battered Fort Sumter in the spring of 1865. The massive three-level masonry fort, where the war started, was held by the Confederates throughout the war, even as it was reduced to rubble by months of Union bombardment. Ironically, the more that Union shells turned brick walls into rubble, the more impregnable the fort became. Scroll down to the back of the view.  John Soule produced 46 different "War Views," mostly in March and April 1865. Forty-one of the views were taken in and around Charleston, South Carolina. The other six were taken in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia. Soule's 1868 catalog offered views for $2 a dozen. This particular print carries an Internal Revenue 3-cent stamp (uncanceled) to pay for a federal tax on photography that existed from 1864 to 1866. |
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