How to Discover Soldier Photos from a Specific Civil War Battle
By Kurt Luther How can we find photos of Civil War soldiers connected to a particular battle? Earlier this summer, I was confronted with this question when Emma Nostheide, a
Category: Photo Sleuth
Oscar F. Douglas: The Photographer Behind the Iconic USCT Drummer Boy
By Kurt Luther The pair of cartes de visite of a young African American boy transformed from a runaway slave into a Union drummer boy are among the most memorable
Photo Sleuthing Some Virginia Tech Cadet Portraits
By Kurt Luther In past columns, we often focused on identifying Civil War soldier photos. However, military images are a much broader genre, and one type of portrait that has
Case Study: Backdrop Explorer
By Kurt Luther When photo sleuths hit a brick wall trying to identify the subject of a Civil War portrait, they often turn from the foreground to the background, using
Finding the Face of Fort Craig’s Namesake
By Kurt Luther During the Civil War years, the Washington, D.C., area was surrounded by a ring of 68 US Army forts known today as the Civil War Defenses of
Introducing Backdrop Explorer, a New Civil War Photo Sleuth Feature
By Kurt Luther Most photo sleuths focus their attention on the subject of a Civil War portrait. This makes sense, as identifying the subject is typically the primary goal. Furthermore,
Exploring a Civil War Connection to Yellowstone National Park
By Kurt Luther Last autumn, I visited Vermont for a week of hiking during peak foliage season. It was my first time stepping foot in the Green Mountain State since
Traveling Back in Time to Resolve an ID Conflict
By Kurt Luther This column’s photo sleuthing story began with an inquiry from Karen Chittenden, Senior Cataloging Specialist in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress. Chittenden
Researching a Grouping of USCT Officer Photos
By Kurt Luther In previous columns, we have typically focused on identifying a single photo of a soldier or a small group. What approach can we take when researching an
A New Way to Remember a Civil War Veteran Who Lost His Life Trying to Save History
By Kurt Luther In 2020, the Smithsonian Institution released nearly three million digital images of its collections for the public to download freely and view online. These included more than