The Civil War was the first time in American history that photography was extensively used to make a public record of events.

The art of photography was only 21 years old when the Civil War started, but it was already hugely popular. For the first time, middle-class Americans were able to have their portraits taken, because photographs were much less expensive than paintings.

Before they left for the war, many Civil War soldiers had their portraits taken by traveling photographers or small photography studios, usually using a type of photography known as ambrotype. Ambrotypes were one-of-a-kind images made on glass or metal and stored in small glass-covered cases.

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