Mathew B. Brady was an American photographer. Known as one of the earliest and most famous photographers in American history, he is best known for his scenes of the Civil War. He studied under inventor Samuel Morse, who pioneered the daguerreotype technique in America. Brady opened his own studio in New York City in 1844, and went on to photograph U.S. presidents John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Millard Fillmore and Martin Van Buren, among other public figures.
Lithograph of Brady, c. 1845
An 1857 portrait of Brady by Charles Loring Elliott
Brady upon his return from the First Battle of Bull Run in Manassas; under his long coat, he is wearing a saber awarded to him by the New York Fire Zouaves.
A U.S. postage stamp of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln based on Brady's portrait photo of Lincoln
Samuel Finley Breese Morse was an American inventor and painter. After having established his reputation as a portrait painter, in his middle age Morse contributed to the invention of a single-wire telegraph system based on European telegraphs. He was a co-developer of Morse code in 1837 and helped to develop the commercial use of telegraphy.
Morse in 1866
Birthplace of Morse, Charlestown, Massachusetts, c. 1898 photo
Self-portrait of Morse in 1812 (National Portrait Gallery)
Jonas Platt, New York politician, by Morse. Oil on canvas, 1828, Brooklyn Museum.
