Elevate the Masses: Alexander Gardner, Photography, and Democracy in Nineteenth-Century America

Alexander Gardner's involvement in the international workers' rights movement is explored in Makeda Best's book, which ties his photographic storytelling to his transatlantic reform activities. She argues that his Photographic Sketch Book of the War was a politically motivated project rooted in his Chartist and Owenite beliefs, and that his portraiture celebrated Northern labor communities and elevated white immigrant workers. The book expands the contribution of Civil War photography beyond the immediate narrative of the war to comprehend its relation to the vigorous international debates about democracy, industrialization, and the rights of citizens.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 22 October 2020
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

Alexander Gardner, the renowned Civil War photographer, is widely recognized for his innovative contributions to the field. However, his involvement in the international workers' rights movement is less well-known. This book explores the interconnectedness of Gardner's photographic storytelling and his transatlantic reform activities, shedding light on his career and the studio he established in Washington, DC. By contextualizing his photographic production within the discourse of social and political reform of the time, the book expands our understanding of Gardner's work and the significance of his studio.

Makeda Best, in her insightful analysis, reveals how Gardner's activism in Scotland and his photography in the United States shared an ideological foundation. She interprets his Photographic Sketch Book of the War as a politically motivated project, rooted in his Chartist and Owenite beliefs. Through a close reading of this work, Best highlights how Gardner's portrayal of slavery primarily focuses on the harm it inflicted on the United States' reputation as a model democracy. She also demonstrates how, despite the industrialization that degraded workers, Gardner celebrated Northern labor communities and elevated white immigrant workers in his portraiture.

In conclusion, this book offers a fresh and compelling perspective on Alexander Gardner's career. By reevaluating his work within the broader context of international debates about democracy, industrialization, and citizen rights, it expands the contribution of Civil War photography beyond the immediate narrative of the war. Scholars working at the intersection of photography, cultural history, and social reform in the nineteenth century on both sides of the Atlantic will find Bests work invaluable to their own research.

Weight: 624g
Dimension: 185 x 262 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271086095