Mathew Brady

Mathew B. Brady stands as a foundational figure in American photography, recognized for his revolutionary application of the daguerreotype technique and his ambitious visual chronicling of mid-19th century public life. His early career was shaped by direct tutelage under Samuel Morse, the painter and inventor instrumental in bringing the complex daguerreotype process to the United States. This technical background allowed Brady to establish himself quickly as a master portraitist.

In 1844, Brady opened his influential studio in New York City, rapidly attracting the era’s most notable figures. Unlike many contemporaries, Brady understood that photography could confer a form of immortality, capturing the likenesses of those shaping the national narrative. His clientele formed a veritable "who’s who" of American political and cultural royalty, including figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edward Everett, and several sitting and former Chief Executives, such as President Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln. It is a telling observation that Brady achieved this level of unparalleled access long before photography was fully accepted as a legitimate art form, effectively cementing his reputation through sheer proximity to power.

While historians often associate Brady primarily with his sweeping, sobering documentation of the American Civil War, his crucial artistic innovation lay in standardizing the high-quality, reproducible image. His commitment to detail ensured that many of these early plates, created between 1850 and 1857, survive in pristine condition. Today, significant selections of his portrait work, including Madame Medori and various untitled compositions, are held in prestigious institutions such as the National Gallery of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because much of his documentation is now considered essential historical record, Brady’s extensive catalogue exists largely in the public domain, offering historians and enthusiasts ready access to high-quality prints and downloadable artwork that define the era.