Name: ______________________________________________________
Photography of the Civil War: Visual Analysis
In 1862, a man named Matthew Brady opened a photography exhibit in New York City
called “The Dead of Antietam.” The first real photograph had only been produced as
recently as 1839, and Americans had never before seen the horrors of war reproduced in
photographic form until the Civil War. Matthew Brady’s exhibit was unprecedented.
"The dead of the battle-field come up to us very rarely, even in dreams," wrote a reporter for
The New York Times. "We see the list in the morning paper at breakfast, but dismiss its
recollection with the coffee. There is a confused mass of names, but they are all strangers; we
forget the horrible significance that dwells amid the jumble of type...We recognize the battlefield as a reality, but it stands as a remote one. It is like a funeral next door. It attracts your
attention, but it does not enlist your sympathy. But it is very different when the hearse stops at
your front door and the corpse is carried over your own threshold...Mr. Brady has done
something to bring to us the terrible reality and earnestness of the War. If he has not brought
bodies and laid them in our door-yards and along [our] streets, he has done something very
like it."
Your mission: select ONE powerful photograph from the Civil War era that captures your
imagination and your heart. You will write about this photograph in a series of three short
papers that approach the same topic (your chosen image) from multiple angles, and
therefore through multiples genres: reflective, descriptive, and informative.
Reflective Essay:
Express your personal reactions to the image and offer a
reflection on the significance you derive from the image. Go
beyond a simple “I like it/I don’t like it” and elaborate on the
deeper responses you may have.
Descriptive Essay:
Write a carefully crafted description that follows a logical
organization (not just a list of random observations) and takes
into account the obvious and less obvious features of the
image. This description should be based only on what you can
see. Note: even a descriptive essay should have a thesis.
Informative Essay:
You will formulate a research question(s) about your
photograph. You will do some research into the artist, theme,
topic, or context for this particular image, depending on what
your question(s) is. Then, you will write a thesis statement and
essay in answer to this question. Your paper should situate the
image in its historical and social context and deepen our (the
viewer’s understanding. You should cite at least three different
sources you used in a Works Cited page.
You will submit three essays together, capturing three different ways of looking at and
writing about one photograph.
Name: ______________________________________________________
Rubrics
Reflective Essay (200-300 words)
A
Exceeds Standard
__________/20
B
Meets Standard
C
Approaches Standard
B
Meets Standard
C
Approaches Standard
B
Meets Standard
C
Approaches Standard
D-F
Below Standard
Personal Interpretation and
Emotional Response
Organization—ideas are
focused and the piece follows
some sort of organizational
scheme
Language—sophisticated,
deliberate diction; complex
sentence structure and variety.
Conventions—
Polished and well-edited; free of
spelling or grammatical errors.
Descriptive Essay (300-400 words)
A
Exceeds Standard
____________/30
D-F
Below Standard
Objective, evidence-based
analysis of photo’s visual
elements.
Organization—ideas are
focused and the piece follows
some sort of organizational
scheme
Language—sophisticated,
deliberate diction; complex
sentence structure and variety.
Conventions—
Polished and well-edited; free of
spelling or grammatical errors.
Informative Essay (400-500 words)
A
Exceeds Standard
Factual, informative, and
demonstrates thorough
research; thesis statement
answers a question around
which the essay is focused.
Organization—ideas are
focused and the piece follows
some sort of organizational
scheme
Language—sophisticated,
deliberate diction; complex
sentence structure and variety.
Conventions—
Polished and well-edited; free of
spelling or grammatical errors.
_____________/50
D-F
Below Standard
Name: ______________________________________________________
Visual Analysis Requirements:
_________ 1) Submission Materials (final draft):
 Rubric
 Reflective Essay
 Descriptive Essay
 Informative Essay
 Copy of Photograph
 Works Cited page with at least three sources
_________ 2) MLA Format
_________ 3) Evidence of Critical Analysis:
 Do your papers show a real examination and understanding of your
image?
 Has your analysis gone past the obvious surface features and examined
all the relevant elements?
 Do your papers offer insight into the significance and broader meaning of
your image?
_________ 4) Effective Use of Different Genres:
 Does each paper clearly represent a different genre, a different way to
write about the same image?
_________ 5) Choice of Image:
 Was the image you chose to focus on an appropriate one for this
assignment?
________ 6) Peer Response:
 Did you pay careful attention to your partner’s feedback and attempt to
incorporate his/her edits and feedback?
 Have you listened/read your partner’s paper carefully and responded
with helpful comments and questions?
Deadlines:
Reflective Essay Due (rough, typed): ______________________________
Descriptive Essay Due (rough, typed): _____________________________
Informative Essay Due (rough, typed): ____________________________
Final Draft Complete Project: _______________________________________