Selections from the Collection: War and Conflict

Meghan L. Jordan

George Eastman Museum, September 17, 2022 to April 16, 2023

Since the invention of photography, the documentation of war has been a subject of interest to the camera and consumers. People have long relied on photographs to view and grapple with the harsh realities of war and conflict, whether by purchasing a copy of Gardner’s Photographic Sketchbook of the War (1866), armchair traveling with stereocards to No Man’s Land of World War I (1914–18), or seeing the destruction of 9/11 on the cover of Time magazine.

This rotation in the Collection Gallery ranges from the Crimean War (1853–56) to the War in Afghanistan (2001–21). The works challenge us to think critically about how photography documents and disseminates information about war, and how photographers’ approaches to recording war has shifted over time.

From portraits of soldiers to views of the battlefield, the photographs—including tintypes, stereocards, albumen silver prints, and inkjet prints—examine the role of images in war and conflict. Photographs by Roger Fenton (English, 1819–1869) and Robert Capa (American, b. Hungary, 1913–1954)—of the Crimean War and of World War II (1939–45), respectively—illustrate how advancements in technology changed how war could be depicted. Iconic images by Timothy O’Sullivan (American, b. Ireland, 1840–1882) and Nick Ut (Vietnamese-American, b. 1951) take viewers to the front line, while works by Anne Noggle (American, 1922–2005) and Michael Koerner (American, b. 1963) explore war’s lasting impact.

Additionally, this exhibition includes two cameras from the Mathew B. Brady Studios—a wet-plate stereoscopic camera and a sliding box camera from the American Civil War era. Also on view are multiple cameras utilized by the United States Army Signal Corps during World War II.