Mathew Brady: Photographer of Our Nation: Photographer of Our Nation

As a young man, Mathew Brady witnessed an explosion of inventions: The steamboat, electricity, the telegraph, and a magical new art form using light and chemicals to create a picture-a photograph-were born. Fascinated with this new art form, Brady opened a photography studio, where he captured the likenesses of important figures of his time. When the American Civil War broke out, Brady and his team were among the first photographers to bring images of the brutal realities of war to the American public.