Gardner, Alexander

Gardner, Alexander
born Oct. 17, 1821, Paisley, Scot.
died 1882, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Scottish-born U.S. photographer.

In 1856, the year he emigrated from Scotland, he was hired by Mathew B. Brady as a portrait photographer, and within two years he opened a studio for Brady in Washington, D.C. In 1861 he began to assist Brady in making a photographic record of the American Civil War. Brady refused to give him public credit, so in 1863 he opened his own portrait studio and continued photographing the war on his own. He published a collection of 100 original prints in 1866. From 1867, as photographer for the Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas, he chronicled the building of the railroad and the new settlements built around it.

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▪ American photographer
born Oct. 17, 1821, Paisley, Renfrew, Scot.
died 1882, Washington, D.C.

      photographer of the American Civil War and of the American West during the latter part of the 19th century.

      Gardner probably came to the United States in 1856, when he was hired by the photographer Mathew B. Brady (Brady, Mathew B.) as a portrait photographer. Two years later, Gardner opened a portrait studio for Brady in Washington, which was so successful that it helped to support Brady's more extravagant New York studio.

 When the American Civil War erupted in 1861, Gardner assisted Brady in his effort to make a complete photographic record of the conflict. Brady, however, refused to give Gardner public credit for his work. Gardner, therefore, left Brady in 1863, opened a portrait gallery in Washington, and continued to photograph the hostilities on his own. His photographs “President Lincoln on the Battlefield of Antietam” (1862) and “Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter, Gettysburg” (1863) and his portraits of Abraham Lincoln are among the best known photographs of the war period. Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the Civil War, a two-volume collection of 100 original prints, was published in 1866. When Brady petitioned Congress to buy his photographs of the war, Gardner presented a rival petition, claiming that it was he, not Brady, who had originated the idea of providing the nation with a photographic history of the conflict. Congress eventually bought both collections.

      In 1867 Gardner became the official photographer for the Union Pacific Railroad. Primarily active in Kansas, he photographed the building of the railroad and the new settlements that grew up near it. He also compiled valuable photographic documentation of the Indians of the Great Plains. Returning to Washington, he gradually lost interest in photography and devoted the rest of his life to philanthropy.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Gardner, Alexander — (17 oct. 1821, Paisley, Escocia–1882, Washington, D.C., EE.UU.). Fotógrafo estadounidense nacido en Escocia. En 1856, el año en que emigró de Escocia, fue contratado por Mathew B. Brady como fotógrafo retratista, y al cabo de dos años abrió un… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Alexander Gardner — Alexander Gardner. Alexander Gardner (Paisley, 17 de octubre de 1821 – 10 de diciembre de 1882) fue un fotógrafo escocés y estadounidense. Es especialmente conocido por sus fotos de la Guerra de Secesión, del Presidente Abraham Lincoln y de la… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Alexander Gardner — um 1865 Alexander Gardner (* 17. Oktober 1821 in Paisley, Schottland; † 10. Dezember 1882 in Washington D. C., USA) war ein US amerikanischer Fotograf. Er wurde vor allem bekannt durch seine Aufnahmen aus dem Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg und mit… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gardner — Gardner, Ava Gardner, Erle Stanley * * * (as used in expressions) Colton, Gardner (Quincy) Gardner, Alexander Gardner, Ava (Lavinia) Gardner, Erle Stanley …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Alexander — Alexander, Christopher Alexander, islas de Alexander, sir Harold * * * (as used in expressions) William Alexander Abbott Agassiz, Alexander (Emmanuel Rodolphe) Alexander, archipiélago Alexander, Harold (Rupert Leofric George) Alexander, 1 conde… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Alexander Gardner (photographe) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Gardner. Portrait d Alexander Gardner. Alexander Gardner (17 octobre 1821 – 10 décembre 1882) …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alexander Gardner (photographer) — NOTOC Alexander Gardner (October 17, 1821 ndash; December 10, 1882) was a Scottish and American photographer. He is best known for his photographs of the American Civil War and his portraits of American President Abraham Lincoln. Gardner was born …   Wikipedia

  • alexander — /al ig zan deuhr, zahn /, n. (often cap.) a cocktail made with crème de cacao with gin or brandy (brandy alexander) and sweet cream. [1925 30; prob. after the proper name] * * * (as used in expressions) Agassiz Alexander Emmanuel Rodolphe… …   Universalium

  • Alexander — /al ig zan deuhr, zahn /, n. 1. See Alexander the Great. 2. Also, Alexandros. Class. Myth. Homeric name for Paris. 3. Franz /frants, franz, frahnts/, 1891 1964, U.S. psychoanalyst, born in Hungary. 4. Grover Cleveland …   Universalium

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