Image
Description
Between 1861 and 1865, George N. Barnard and C. O. Bostwick photographed this group of white soldiers, possibly the 8th Company, 7th New York Infantry, at Washington D.C.'s Camp Cameron. Included in the photograph are seven men: three seated and identified as Sergeant Samuel W. Sears, Captain Henry C. Shumway and Private Peter Eagen, three unidentified standing immediately behind them and one sentry posted in the background. An African-American "contraband" kneels to the left of the group.
Source-Dependent Questions
- What part of the photograph most draws your attention? Why?
- What might have been the relationship between the African-American "contraband" and the six soldiers standing and seated near him? What evidence in the photograph led you to believe this?
- On the back of the photograph, the photographers listed the names of the three men seated and the company they come from, but the "contraband" is neither named nor mentioned. Is this significant? Why or why not?
Citation Information
Barnard, George N., and C.O. Bostwick, "[Group portrait of soldiers in front of a tent, possibly at Camp Cameron, Washington, D.C.] / G.N. Barnard & C.O. Bostwick, photos," between 1861 and 1865. Courtesy of Library of Congress