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Private Louis H. Benz, chief bugler at West Point Military Academy, with his bugle Warren, phot

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Private Louis H. Benz, chief bugler at West Point Military Academy, with his bugle Warren, phot

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Gift; Tom Liljenquist; 2016; (DLC/PP-2016:144)
Purchased from: Medhurst & Co., North Liberty, Iowa, August 2015.
Forms part of: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress).
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More than 2,500 special portrait photographs, called ambrotypes and tintypes, and small card photos called cartes de visite represent both Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Tom Liljenquist and his sons Jason, Brandon, and Christian built this collection in memory of President Abraham Lincoln and the estimated 620,000-850,000 Union and Confederate servicemen who died in the American Civil War. For many, these photographs are the last known record we have of who they were and what they looked like. See "From the Donor's Perspective--The Last Full Measure" for the full story. The Liljenquist Family began donating their collection to the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division in 2010, and continues to add to it. In addition to the ambrotypes and tintypes, the collection also includes several manuscripts, patriotic envelopes, photographs on paper, and artifacts related to the Civil War. The portraits often show weapons, hats, canteens, musical instruments, painted backdrops, and other details that enhance the research value of the collection. Other photo topics include flags, city views, veterans, and ships. Among the rarest images are sailors, African Americans in uniform, Lincoln campaign buttons, and portraits of soldiers with their families and friends. LOC Prints & Photographs Division holds thousands of images relating to the Civil War, found in many different collections.

George Kendall Warren was the son of a farmer and was brought up in a rural environment. Warren showed an early interest in photography and began his career as an apprentice to a local photographer. In 1857, Warren moved to Boston to work for the prominent photographer John Adams Whipple. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled photographer and was soon hired by the Boston publishing house of J.H. Bufford to produce photographic illustrations for their publications. Warren's work was highly regarded for its technical excellence and artistic quality. He specialised in landscape photography and was renowned for his stunning images of the American West. He travelled extensively throughout the western United States documenting the natural beauty of the region. In 1869, Warren was commissioned by the Union Pacific Railroad to document the construction of the transcontinental railroad. He produced a series of photographs that captured the monumental engineering feat of building a railway across the rugged terrain of the West. Warren's work was widely exhibited and won numerous awards, including a gold medal at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. He died in 1884 at the age of 50, but his legacy as one of America's greatest photographers lives on.

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Date

01/01/1870
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Library of Congress
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