Devlin Hall hosts Civil War Exhibition.
From September 5th to December 11th, the McMullen Museum of Art in Devlin Hall is playing host to the exhibition: “First Hand: Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection.” For the first time, this archive of illustrations – once thought to have been lost forever – is available for public viewing. Alongside these illustrations are historical artifacts derived from the Boston Athenaeum and the Wider Civil War Collection, giving the exposition a more authentic atmosphere. The exhibition honors Joseph Becker and his thirteen colleagues, newspaper correspondents and artists whose first hand drawings and sketches provide greater perspective into our national identity and those times.
During this era, photography was still quite primitive in nature, lacking in its capacity to impress upon the audience pictures in motion. However, these artists prevailed in spite of this handicap, documenting our nation’s defining historical events with a fluidity- of-motion that resulted in great aesthetic appeal. Although varied with regards to stylistic approach, each artist’s drawings play off the same basic principles. For example, the use of contrast within these drawings is immediately evident – whether with respect to the degree of shading and color, the distance between pencil markings, or even the general pace of the drawing. Furthermore, the artists’ use of light and shadow adds the illusion of depth to the scene, giving it an increased dramatic effect. The drawings are in this way able to convey the intensity of the moment much as a camera might today.
Although the artist-correspondents lived in an era much different from that of our own, these individuals still had to acquiesce to the special interests that newspaper editors and publishers imposed upon them – a reality sometimes tangible in modern society. These editors and publishers had increased circulation and readership as their principal concern and, therefore, vied to sacrifice on accuracy and cater to the needs and biases of the reader. Once in the newsroom, these drawings were subject to doctoring – such as exaggerating racial stereotypes, obscuring the truth and evoking romantic illusions of warfare – before being translated into engravings. Of course, the artist-correspondents had no say in the matter and, therefore, surely cannot be to blame. In fact, some individuals would even conduct personal interviews with soldiers in order to gain insight into their mentality and get their facts straight. Although we have much to learn from the artists’ works with respect to the war being fought, we should not be so naïve as to merely accept these drawings without considering the intentional and unintentional subjectivity imposed by the mores of the time. Because of this, these artists’ works can never have the objectivity of today’s digital images. Yet, if one appreciates this unavoidable bias, one is still able to learn about the times and appreciate how far technology has carried us for better or worse.
These drawings parallel each other with regards to one important characteristic: that of narration. The inherent storytelling ability of these illustrations renders the titles and accompanying descriptions superfluous. The pictures are quite dramatic and expressive. It should be remembered that since these individuals experienced the war firsthand, their work is able to convey a feel that many of today’s photos cannot. The same subjectivity that can be a drawback of an artist’s interpretation of an event can also provide an insight to the events in the context of the times.
Once the war drew to its close, Becker forged ahead with his work in documenting the nation’s development. Some subsequent illustrations record immigrant Chinese manual laborers laying down railroad tracks, thereby drawing public attention to its importance in daily life and potential for the future. Besides that, his sketches of the Great Chicago Fire and the Indian Wars render the nation as a diverse medley of social and ethnic minorities. Such reporting piqued public interest in further study with regards to different cultures, ethnicities and immigrants. Last of all, the drawings of the transcontinental railroad evoked in the public mind the metaphorical “linking” between national boundaries. These artist-correspondents were the first to report on the defining developments in our national history.
These artist-correspondents were embedded in the union army. One cannot help but be impressed by these men and their bravery as the risks were considerable. Today, we expect live coverage of world events. We forget that there was a time when this was not possible. Nonetheless, through the efforts of these talented artists, we are fortunate to see “live” Civil War events today – a century and a half later. Don’t miss this exhibition. It will create a renewed appreciation for those times and a greater understanding of the challenges of life during the Civil War era.
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