Civil War Sketch Book: Drawings from the Battlefront

by Harry L. Katz, Vincent Virga, Alan Brinkley (Preface)

At a time before the camera lens could capture the frenzy and terror of battle action, illustrators known as “Special Artists”—among them such famous draftsmen as Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast—created for the American public some of the most important and lasting images of the Civil War. Reporting for newspapers like Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News, the Specials brought a visceral immediacy to the clash, presenting rich and nuanced images of soldiers in the camps and sweeping panoramas of the great battles. The illustrations span the war and its many theaters, including rarely seen views of Shiloh, Antietam, Vicksburg, and Gettysburg, and the famous stampede of Union soldiers fleeing the Rebels at Bull Run. Gathering these images for the first time in fifty years, Civil War Sketch Book gives readers the sense that they are touching history, for the illustrations (some even stained with soldiers’ blood) represent priceless artifacts from our nation’s greatest conflict.

Genres: History, Art, Civil War, Nonfiction

251 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2012

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry L Katz's and Vincent Virga's "The Civil War Sketchbook" is a beautifully produced and illustrated coffee-table style book on the reportorial art of the Civil War. The book describes the history and process of mass published new art. Major artists are discussed and many examples of their work are illustrated.

Around the time of the American Civil War, a series of technical revolutions permitted the mass printing of engraved art in periodicals. However, photography was not yet portable and quick enough to capture battle scenes. Into this breach stepped a group of artists who rode with the armies. They witnessed and sketched events and then forwarded the sketchs and their notes to publishers of mass circulation weeklies in New York or London. The publishers then had other artists engrave and clean up the art. The art was then printed along with news articles. By the turn of the century, photography had pretty much obsoleted this profession.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the period, in military history, or in the history of reporting.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Splendid.