Shooting Lincoln: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and the Race to Photograph the Story of the Century

by Nicholas Pistor

They took the most memorable photographs of the Civil War. Now their long rivalry was about to climax with the spilled blood of an American president--an event that would usher in a new age of modern media.

Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner were the new media moguls of their day. With their photographs they brought the Civil War -- and all of its terrible suffering -- into Northern living rooms. By the end of the war, they were locked in fierce competition.

And when the biggest story of the century happened--the assassination of Abraham Lincoln--their paparazzi-like competition intensified. Brady, nearly blind and hoping to rekindle his wartime photographic magic, and Gardner, his former understudy, raced against each other to the theater where Lincoln was shot, to the autopsy table where Booth was identified, and to the gallows where the conspirators were hanged. Whoever could take the most sensational -- or ghastly -- photograph would achieve lasting camera-lens fame.

Compelling and riveting, Shooting Lincoln tells the astonishing, behind-the-photographs story of these two media pioneers who raced to "shoot" the late president and the condemned conspirators. The photos they took electrified the country, fed America's growing appetite for tabloid-style sensationalism in the news, and built the media we know today.

Genres: History, Civil War, Nonfiction, Biography, Presidents

272 pages, Hardcover

First published September 19, 2017

About the author

Nicholas J. C. Pistor is a reporter at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and former consultant for CBS’s 48 Hours true-crime series who has broken stories on some of the biggest crimes in the Midwest.

He has appeared on nearly every major television news network, including NBC’s Today Show, CBS, Fox News, MSNBC, and was a guest reporter for CNN’s Nancy Grace.

Pistor began as a stringer for the Post-Dispatch in 2003, after he graduated from college, eventually working through various roles before becoming a reporter.

In 2008, his investigation of financial abuses within the Illinois death penalty system led to criminal investigations and new legislation signed by the governor. A circuit judge declared the report “thoroughly researched and thoroughly painful.”

Pistor garnered national attention in 2009 for his reporting on Christopher Coleman, a bodyguard for televangelist Joyce Meyer who was accused of strangling his wife and two children in order to start a new life with a mistress. His reporting led national broadcasts as he disclosed new details of the murders.

In August 2010, Pistor's investigation revealed that the iconic stainless steel Gateway Arch in St. Louis is corroding. The stories generated national headlines and disclosed that the Arch is suffering from lax maintenance. His reporting brought awareness to the monument's maintenance issues. In 2013, an international landmarks organization named it one of the world's most endangered.

In 2011, his dogged pursuit of court records was displayed in a newspaper investigation that showcased the ugly side of high-stakes divorces. One story revealed how lawyers and private investigators used Heidi Fleiss, the infamous Hollywood madame, to coach and coerce an exotic dancer to make false claims against their client’s high profile ex-husband, mortgage executive Ray Vinson. Leaving Vinson’s reputation in tatters, they walked out of the courthouse with the lion’s share of a $70 million divorce.

Pistor also wrote human interest stories during the St. Louis Cardinals' epic seven game World Series quest in 2011. And in 2012 he reported on Missouri's contentious U.S. Senate battle between Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican Todd Akin, whose candidacy was ruined when he said women can somehow avoid pregnancy after a "legitimate rape."

Immediately before joining the Post-Dispatch, Pistor graduated from the Jesuit-affiliated Saint Louis University, where he began a decade-long research quest after a priest rekindled his memory of the Saxtown massacre.

The Ax Murders of Saxtown, his first book, will be released on January 14, 2014.

Pistor grew up in Millstadt, Illinois, a few miles from the Saxtown murder scene, where talk of the crime kept him awake as a boy.

He currently lives in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis Magazine, in its annual A-List issue, named Pistor the city's best Twitterer.

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers for providing an ARC of the book through NetGalley.

This was a really interesting look at the role of photography during the time of Lincoln's assassination. At times, it read more like a history book looking more at Lincoln and Booth and the assassination plot and at others it reads more like a in depth analysis of the role of photography. I found the Wanted Posters section really interesting as it had never occurred to me. Living in today's culture and society, when wanted posters are mostly seen on television, the role of rudimentary photography had never occurred to me.
This book specialises in the rivalry between Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner which was really interesting. I would compare it to the rivalry between Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison for the growing media industry.

The book itself was just fascinating, and the way it showed the media's influence on the public's opinion was amazing.

[Kusaimamekirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fascinating read about the major leaps in photography taken at the outset of the Civil War, up to and including the executions of Lincoln's assassins.
The rivalry between the leading photographers of the day, Alexander Gardner and Matthew Brady, is equally interesting and are reminiscent of the rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse (Like Edison, Brady in particular was more showman than creator and often took credit for the work of photographers from his studio).
If you want a quick primer on the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath, as well as the figures who created the images that the public consumed of it, this is a nice place to start.

[Caleb J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read about two famous Civil War photographers, Brady and his protege Gardener during to Civil war. Interesting perspective from outside looking in. Pictures as the social media of the 1860s.
Pictures do tell a 1000 words. Good read.

[Elliot Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn about Alexander Gardner, who was probably the best photographer of the Civil War.

[Cayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

Interesting topic, but dry reading.

[David Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a fascinating look at the race to photograph Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War itself, and the assassination conspirators. As the subtitle suggests, it begins with the rivalry between well-known Civil War photographer Mathew Brady and his less well-known but probably much more talented apprentice turned rival, Alexander Gardner.

Brady was a showman, Gardner a technician. Brady helped popularize the budding field of photography, but due to time constraints and degrading vision employed several photographers to actually take the photographs (for which Brady would take credit). Based in New York City, Brady sent employee photographer Gardner to open Brady's Washington DC office. Gardner did so and independently photographed Civil War figures and battlefields, to which again Brady received credit. Eventually Gardner left to start his own studio and became the favorite photographer of Abraham Lincoln. The interplay between Brady and Gardner and others is brought out in Pistor's book, and it suggests we might want to rethink Brady's title of Civil War photographer extraordinaire.

Much of the book, however, focuses on Gardner since he was based in Washington and doing most of the actual photography, both while employed by Brady and as his own boss. It was Gardner who took many of the most iconic photographs of the battlefield and Lincoln. After his success enabled him to hire assistants, he was much more likely to give them credit for their work.

Part of what makes the book fascinating is the work Gardner did related to the assassination of Lincoln, and more than half the book covers aspects of this period. Gardner was given the exclusive contract to photograph the conspirators for use in the trials and investigations. It was Gardner called in to photograph John Wilkes Booth's body after the autopsy, though Pistor points out there is some debate as to whether a photo was ever taken. Likewise, Gardner was the only one allowed to photograph the execution.

It was based on this series of photographs that Pistor credits Gardner with pioneering the concept of "live news" coverage. Previous photos on the battlefield were all by necessity taken after the fact, where dead bodies were sometimes rearranged to give dramatic effect. But with the hanging of the conspirators Gardner was challenged to take a series of photos of the prisoners being brought to the scaffolds, prepared for hanging, and then the actual act itself and the dangling bodies. Very long exposure times for photos meant more than one camera and some blurry images. But the sequence created an almost moving picture of the event. In an epilogue, Pistor takes this view a step further, connecting Gardner's execution sequence to Eadweard Muybridge's 1878 12-camera sequence of a horse running and the ensuing development of "motion pictures" via Muybridge's zoopraxiscope and its descendant, Thomas Edison's kinetoscope. Pistor, in fact, credits Gardner with birthing the modern live news media.

Whether this last conclusion is a bit of a leap or not is debatable. But Pistor does present a compelling narrative of both the rivalry between Brady and Gardner and the growing importance of photographer as a viable news medium of the day.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shooting Lincoln: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and the Race to Photograph the Story of the Century
By : Nicholas Pistor
Non fiction
DNF 100%

What's it's about
Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner were the new media moguls of their day. Together they brought the Civil War and all of its terrible suffering into Northern living rooms. Newspapers sold out when they ran their photos, and, by the end of the war, they were locked in fierce competition. When the biggest story of the century-Lincoln's assassination-broke, their paparazzi-like race intensified. Whoever could take the most sensational-or ghastly-photo would achieve lasting fame.

Shooting Lincoln tells the astonishing behind-the-photograph story of these two media pioneers who raced to "shoot" Lincoln in the days after he died and the assassins on the day they died. The photos they took electrified the country, unlocking the passion of Americans for close-up views of history as it happened.

What I thought of it
Boring, dull, and dry, . Doesn't pull you in to the story, the aspect of the book was and is a good idea but it's not my cup of tea, and I love to read non fiction, but this book won't be finding it's way on to either my book shelf or Kindle books ,with that said I would like to say thinks to NetGalley for at least giving me a chance to read it even if I did ended up DNF it.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free Kindle copy of Shooting Lincoln by Nicholas Pistor courtesy of Net Galley and DeCapo Press  the publisher. It was with the understanding that I would post a review to Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and my history book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google Plus pages.

I requested this book as the description sounded very interesting and I have read a great deal about Abraham Lincoln. It is the first book by the Nicholas Pistor that I have read.

The subtitle of the book: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner and the Race to Photograph the Story of the Century partially tells the story contained in the book. When the author focuses on the main theme the book is good. The problem is that large sections of the book deal with what was going on in the civil war and there are several other books out there that do a much better job than this one.

Pistor does a very good job of presenting the background on Brady and Gardner and the reasons for their split.

I recommend this book if you have not read a great deal about Lincoln or the Civil War. If you have I would recommend skipping over the parts that do not deal directly with the two main characters on which the book is based.

[Ionia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst I do not know a lot about photography method from days gone by, I found this to be an interesting book. The author went to great lengths to ensure that the reader understood the different types of photography back then and the plight of the photographers as well.

This book is partly about the life and death of Lincoln and partly about the photographers. There were some areas that came off as a bit dry and technical but other parts of the book were really interesting and drew me in as a reader. I liked learning about the pressures places on those behind the camera and how things changed for them after the assassination of the president.

Overall, this was an interesting look at how things used to be done that I would recommend to others who are interested in Lincoln and photography.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

All right, before getting into the content of this book, let’s talk about the writing. Much of it in a clipped, urgent style. In an apparent attempt to be casually conversational. With lots of partial, fragmentary sentences. Often beginning with a subordinating conjunction but without a main clause. Which is jarring and distracting. You get the idea. Because I found it extremely annoying.

Thankfully, the book’s content was better than its style. However, while the subject matter was interesting and there were some intriguing anecdotes, the book as a whole didn’t quite live up to my expectations, nor to the drama and urgency as suggested by the subtitle.

The book aims to tell the story of Mathew Brady, his employee-turned-competitor Alexander Gardner, and their efforts to document in photographs the people and events of the Civil War era. In doing so, Pistor traces the evolution of photography itself, as the protagonists go from artists to documentarians to journalists, first capturing studio portrait shots, then battlefield images documenting the war’s aftermath, and finally news events as they happened.

Brady was the artistic, ambitious, credit-hogging one whose name and reputation endures today. Gardner was savvier, scrappier, more innovative, and deserves to be better known. So Pistor doesn’t fall for Brady’s PR, in giving him all the credit as the premier photographer of his time and minimizing his competitors.

By necessity, individuals and events that the two photographers documented are fully described before we read much about how they did the work of documenting them. This often makes the two fade into the background in what’s supposed to be their story - which is unavoidable, to some extent, in that the two were, by definition, more observers of history than participants in it.

So it’s a bit of a thin story for a book. At under 200 pages in total, the "race to photograph the story of the century" doesn't even begin until halfway through, with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. But photography, not to mention transportation, was not yet at the point where Brady or Gardner could race to the scene of a breaking news story and take photos that would appear in tomorrow’s newspaper. So the “race” is a bit overplayed, as the most interesting photos they took, days and weeks later, were those used to assist the government in its investigation - Brady's crime scene photos of Ford's Theatre a week later, for example, or Gardner's mug shots of the captured conspirators.

The book ultimately builds to a climax with the executions of four of the conspirators. I mentioned in a previous review how, as a kid, I was once morbidly fascinated by the photos of the public hangings. Pistor fills in the backstory, with a dramatic, moment-by-moment account of the event, while describing how Gardner and an associate set up two cameras side by side in order to document the event with a series of sequential photos, in a way that had never really been done before.

This alone was enough to raise the book for me to an average rating, from what would otherwise have been a mostly negative one. Gardner gets his due for his innovative achievement in covering a “live news event” for the first time, even though his success in doing so, Pistor writes, "is largely eclipsed by the enormity of the event he had documented." So this book corrects that, if nothing else.

But the book could have had somewhat more of a biographical focus on its main characters, since we never really get to know them. And some of how they’re described seems to ring false - both are portrayed as opportunistic, motivated only by money, greedily taking photos only so they could sell them. Of course, making money and earning a living is the goal of most work, but it’s not the primary thought in most people’s minds as they work, and I wasn’t convinced it was for Brady or Gardner, either.

I also thought the book could have been fleshed out with more about their process, and how photography worked at the time - we’re told vaguely about chemicals, and glass plates, and exposure times, but not in very much detail. I wasn’t expecting a manual on 19th-century technology, but it would have been better had some of the details not been so glossed over.

And, for a book that’s all about photographs, it would have been better if the photos that are described in the text could have appeared in the book where they're referenced, instead of being grouped together in glossy inserts. Plus, several photos that are referenced don’t appear in the inserts at all, while conversely, some photos in the inserts aren’t referenced in the text - such as a 1950’s photo of Brady’s old glass plates and photo archives “crumbling” and “withering” in a relative’s studio - but the narrative never explores this, or describes whatever happened to those archives and if they were saved.

So this book is not quite a new angle on the Lincoln assassination, nor is it a biography of Brady and Gardner, but a little of both and a little of neither. Parts of it are interesting enough, but the whole is somewhat less than the sum of those parts. And the writing style remained a huge distraction to me. With a more compelling story and a more aggressive editor, it might have turned out better. I applaud the effort, and learned a few new things, but it could be that the story of those who documented a larger story just wasn’t enough of a story on its own.

[James Crabtree · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Civil War broke out photography was barely past being a novelty. No longer the realm of experimenters, photo studios became the closest thing to a mass media product in the 19th century outside of newspapers. Anyone with a few dollars could go to a studio and get a few pictures made of themselves on carte de visites, small cards with the image printed on them. When war came photographers by the thousands came to get their pictures made before going to battle.

Matthew Brady and Alexander Gardner were the best of these and they had different philosophies about how to cover the war. At first Brady was determined to photograph a battle as it happened, but the cameras of the time required many seconds of exposure and were large and vulnerable devices. Brady's experiences at First Bull Run, whatever they were, taught him that photography would have to be done differently.

Brady sent out teams to several fronts and had them photograph scenes of camp and in the immediate aftermath of battle (being a northerner, this relied on the battlefield remaining in Union hands). Gardner, a former employee of Brady, also went to the battlefields (usually beating Brady and his teams) and looked for the unique and the macabre... and not shrinking from "rearranging" the battlefield on occasion to "better reflect" the nature of war. This was in contrast to Brady's pictures of the site of Lee's surrender at Appomattox and even a photo of Lee himself. Pistor characterizes Brady's approach as "artistic" and Gardner's as "journalistic."

Of course, it was Lincoln's assassination which saw photography really come into its own. Carte de visites of the conspirators were used in wanted posters and distributed to the military who hunted Booth and they were (briefly) used as a measure of loyalty among those interviewed by law enforcement. Gardner used photography to help document the conspirators for all time. Photos were used by artists to create propaganda concemning Booth as well as memorials to the slain president.

Overall, a very interesting study of the role of photography in the Civil War, although not in depth, and a study of two rival photographers. As would be expected, the book is illustrated by excellent photographs.

[Julie Failla Earhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I distinctly remember when I was in the fifth or sixth grade, I had to do a report on Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady. I remember cutting pictures from a “National Geographic” to illustrate it, and my cousin helping me type it. The pictures and process were so much different than how the nightly news covered the Vietnam War.

It seems that at that time, Brady was getting credit for most of the indelible pictures that we know of today from that time period. Over the years, it seems that Brady started getting less and less credit as more research came to illuminate Alexander Gardner, once a student of Brady’s, was the real mastermind behind those stirring photographs.

In this book, author Pistor uncovers the true nature of the men’s professional abilities. I was a little taken aback to learn how Gardner posed many of the battle scenes. Given the 1860s process of developing the glass-plate negatives, it’s no wonder that the image that we see are taken after days or even weeks after the battles. It was also a disconcerting to learn that Gardner posed the bodies for the utmost affect.

Brady was known mostly as a portraitist. He photographed the celebrities of the day and made them available to the public to buy and trade (much like we think of baseball cards today). And the public loved them. Learning how bad Brady’s eyesight was made me wonder how he was able to produce any worthwhile photographs.

Gardner, on the other hand, was a robust Scot immigrant who had studied and worked with Brady. Gardner made history when he was the only photographer allowed to photograph the Lincoln assassination conspirators and the only one allowed to record their execution. Also, Gardner was the man behind the cloth of the last photograph take of President Abraham Lincoln (February 1865).

The book’s timeframe flowed well, centering on the time from 1851 to Summer 1865, with an Epilogue dating 1875. The action during each chapter was rather choppy, as author Pistor had a tendency to want to go back in time to explain something. All in all, it was a good read.
“Shooting Lincoln: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and the Race to Photograph the Story of the Century ” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

[Kelly Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dry read which was perfect at a time when I needed to be able to put a book down for several days and not feel compelled to pick it up until such time as I had the time to sit and read. The book covers some major events in US history; the Civil War, the assassination of President Lincoln, the search for the perpetrators and the executions of the conspirators. All these events are seen literally through the lenses of the most well known photographers of the day; Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner. Brady the forerunner in the art and to this day the one synonymous with photography of the era and Gardener, a student of Brady and the one to focus more on places than on people. His series of execution photographs are offered as evidence by the author as the birth of modern news media.
A lot of good research went into this book but as I said, it is a dry read and I never really felt engaged despite my avid interest in both the history and in photography. Definitely worth reading just not a book that compels one to sit and read cover to cover. A hesitant 4, more like a 3½ star read.

[Dylan Berwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting subject but a somewhat dry read at times. The author does an excellent job of explaining the history of photography and the role these two giants would play in it. I wish the author had more photos throughout the book. Especially when he's explaining in great detail about specific photographs.

[David Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author fails to make the case that competition existed between the photographers. Nor does link between Gardner's 'multiple picture motion' and the future of movie photography hold up.

A book on mid-19th century photography would also be well served by a description of how it worked, and why the physical/chemical process affected the methodology of taking a picture.

[Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about two inconsequential exploitative photographers/media men with the backdrop of the sad events of Our wonderful country and the injustice of the sentences passed including one innocent Woman. Book does point out Lincoln knew he was at risk and did nothing and goes to show how bloodthirsty the north was. Interesting read but too quick of a pace for a much complicated and sad tale.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting point of view of events history buffs already know the details of; almost makes it seem like the central events are new to you. Obviously well-researched, but the writing style gets repetitive at points and could've been further polished.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent information, but it could have used more heavy-handed editing. I will not be purchasing for my teen library. I find it unlikely that teen readers would be interested enough in the subject to slough through the intense level of detail, especially in the first 90 pages or so.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best account of the hanging I’ve read, and I’ve read many. Little details that only a photographer would note. I also liked the focus on Gardner.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

How Brady, Gardner and the Civil War brought photography to a new age.

[Tom]

Very interesting on the 2 photographers who captured the Civil War and President Lincoln's death. Also the capture and trial of those who assisinated him.

[Shayla R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this historical look at photography. My father was a photographer so it was also personal for me. Was easy to read-even though it was non-fiction, it told a story.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the story of Sly's early years but not the later history.

[Drew Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I’ve often written, non-fiction books are hard to recommend. They can be too narrow in scope, too specific. They can go in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, they can be a mix of both, starting under a specific, well-defined pretense and becoming a bloated mess. As my dad would say, which I’ll clean up a bit, it’s trying to “put 10 pounds of crap in a five-pound bag.” Something’s going to get left out, or not given the correct time and space needed to get a firm grip on the background information. In situations like this, once one thing gets lost, everything gets lost. Nicholas Pistor’s 2017 book, Shooting Lincoln: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and the Race to Photography the Story of the Century is a prime example. It begins with a specific purpose, but tries to fit too much into too few pages, and while not quite a bloated mess, leaves out a lot...

To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...

[Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about two inconsequential exploitative photographers/media men with the backdrop of the sad events of Our wonderful country and the injustice of the sentences passed including one innocent Woman. Book does point out Lincoln knew he was at risk and did nothing and goes to show how bloodthirsty the north was. Interesting read but too quick of a pace for a much complicated and sad tale.