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Andrew J. Russell , (Mar 20, 1829–Sep 22, 1902)

Bird's Eye View of Bull Run Bridge

1863
9 1/16 in. x 13 3/8 in. (23.02 cm x 33.97 cm)

Medium and Support: Albumen print

Credit Line: Museum purchase

Accession Number: 1991.145

Commentary

Captain A. J. Russell was assigned to the United States Military Railroad Construction Corps under General Herman Haupt, in March 1863, as the group’s official photographer. This image is one of hundreds by Russell documenting Haupt’s engineering feats involving railroad track and bridge construction, repair, and demolition. Russell’s photographs were used to illustrate engineering operations in Haupt’s official reports, copies of which were employed as instructional tools for other units.
Although his job was to document, Russell was concerned with aesthetics. In this photograph the elevated vantage point and strong contrasts of light and dark allow for the most detailed view of the bridge repair. They also help define the bridge as a central design element around which the carefully balanced composition is organized. Images such as this—beautiful, yet technical in nature—mark the beginning of American industrial photography and foreshadow Russell’s later and better-known work for the Union Pacific Railroad.

Exhibition List

This object was included in the following exhibitions:

Point of View: Landscapes from the Addison Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/16/1992 - 12/20/1992
Industrial Evolution: Photographic Images and Ideas Addison Gallery of American Art , 1/14/1995 - 1/7/1996
Addison Gallery of American Art: 65 Years Addison Gallery of American Art , 4/13/1996 - 7/31/1996
Past, Present, and Future: The Evolution of American Values [Phillips Academy Ar Addison Gallery of American Art , 5/27/2005 - 6/12/2005
The Civil War: Unfolding Dialogues Addison Gallery of American Art , 10/15/2011 - 4/15/2012
Industrial Strength: Selections from the Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 2/1/2014 - 4/13/2014
Eye on the Collection Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/1/2017 - 7/31/2018
Contemplating the View: American Landscape Photographs Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/8/2018 - 3/3/2019
A Wildness Distant from Ourselves: Art and Ecology in Nineteenth-Century America Addison Gallery of American Art , 9/1/2019 - 7/31/2020

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