1

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-08092

Inspection of troops at Cumberland Landing

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-07783

Battery Stevens, two 1,000 pound parrot rifles. breaking battery against Sumter

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-22224

President Abraham Lincoln on Antietam Battlefield

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-22155

Camp scene with family

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-07923

Gettysburg

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Chicago Historical Society, ICHi-08204

Officers of the 82nd Regiment of Illinois, taken in Atlanta, Georgia

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Title

Inspection of troops at
Cumberland Landing

Battery Stevens, two

1,000 pound parrot rifles.
breaking battery against
Sumter

President Abraham Lincoln

on Antietam Battlefield

Photograph #

1.

2.

3.

People

Objects

Surrounding Activities

Directions: Your group will have ten minutes to study each photograph. Use the chart below to record as much information as you can about the
people, objects, and the surrounding activities in the photograph. Then answer the questions below.

P H O T O G R A P H A N A LY S I S (part 1, page 1)

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

Title

Camp scene with family

Gettysburg

Officers of the 82nd

Regiment of Illinois, taken
in Atlanta, Georgia

Photograph #

4.

5.

6.

People

Objects

Surrounding Activities

Directions: Your group will have ten minutes to study each photograph. Use the chart below to record as much information as you can about the
people, objects, and the surrounding activities in the photograph. Then answer the questions below.

P H O T O G R A P H A N A LY S I S (part 2, page 2)

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y
P H O T O G R A P H A N A LY S I S (part 2, page 1)

Answer the following questions for each photograph:

What do you think are the most important parts of the photograph? Why?
Photograph 1:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 2:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 3:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What is one conclusion you can make about the Civil War based on this photograph?
Photograph 1:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 2:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 3:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Write down one question that you have about this photograph.
Photograph 1:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 2:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 3:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y
P H O T O G R A P H A N A LY S I S (page 2, page 2)

Answer the following questions for each photograph:

What do you think are the most important parts of the photograph? Why?
Photograph 4:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 5:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 6:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
What is one conclusion you can make about the Civil War based on this photograph?
Photograph 4:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 5:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 6:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Write down one question that you have about this photograph.
Photograph 4:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 5:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Photograph 6:________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

C I V I L W A R | C I V I L WA R P H O T O G R A P H Y
KEY QUESTIONS
Name__________________________________________________________

Date______________________

Directions: Read each question carefully and answer with complete sentences.

1. Before the invention of photography, how do you think people learned what war was like?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Would our interpretation of the Civil War be different without these photographs? Why or why not?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which photograph is the most interesting to you and why?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
4. Write down two things you can learn about life during the Civil War from these photographs.
a. _______________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________
5. How did people learn about war and conflict during the Civil War? How do people learn about war
and conflict today?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. Do you think photographers should be able to photograph current and future wars? Why or why not?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
7. Are there any images of war or conflict that should not be made public?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
8. Can the use of photography affect a persons opinion about a war or conflict? How?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________