WNYC NEWS: THE BURNS ARCHIVE CIVIL WAR EXHIBITION

Merchant's House to Display Photos of New York Civil War Regiment Soldiers

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

By Julia Botero

On April 13, 1861, the U.S. Army garrison at Fort Sumter, South Carolina surrendered to Confederate troops. Two days later, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 militiamen to pick up their rifles and squelch the southern rebellion. The American Civil War was on.  

In honor of the soldiers who put their lives on the line in the ensuing four years of war, the Merchant's House Museum in Manhattan is presenting a series of photographs of wounded Civil War soldiers who served in New York regiments. The exhibit marks the first time any of the photographs will be displayed to the public in the 150 years since the war.  

Military historian and Civil War reenactor Robert Mulligan, who is from Albany, said the New York battalions included some notable troops.  

"One was in the box with Lincoln when Lincoln was shot, and another was the first union officer killed in the war, Elmer Ellsworth," he said.  

Each photograph at the Merchant's House Museum exhibit was taken by Reed Brockway Bontecou, who was the surgeon in charge of Washington, D.C.'s Harewood U.S. Army General Hospital. When the war ended, the photographs became the largest part of the government’s war medical photograph collection.  

Mulligan has for years played the roles of Corporal James Tamer of the 86th New York Infantry and Sargent Rice C. Bull of the 103rd New York Infantry. Bull was injured in battle and Tamer lost both of his feet, but Mulligan doubted that either of the men passed through Bontecou's hospital.  

"It was a hub of medical treatment, but I'd be surprised to find their photographs," he said. "There were just too many injured soldiers."  

In 1975, a New York City ophthalmologist who had taken an interest to collecting historical photographs, Stanley B. Burns, acquired the photographs from the Bontecou family. He soon established the distinguished Burns Collection, which has since become the nation’s largest private comprehensive collection of early medical photography.  

Dr. Burns has published two (of three) volumes of the Bontecou photographs. The most recent one, "Shooting Soldiers: The Civil War Medical Photography of Reed Bontecou," will be released on Thursday to coincide with the opening of the Merchant's House exhibition.   

At the exhibit, more then 100 graphic photographs of human disfigurement will be accompanied by passages from Walt Whitman's "Specimen Days,"  a memoir of his horrific experiences as a volunteer nurse. Along with other images and memorabilia of the time, the words tell the real story of the Civil War that Whitman said would "never get into the books."

To see the article on the WNYC website and view the slide show click HERE 

MEMORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY LECTURE THIS WEEK: APRIL 14 Dr. Burns Speaks at the Albin O. Kuhn Gallery, UMBC, Baltimore.

Thursday, April 14, 2011, 4 p.m

Dr. Stanley Burns, author of three books on memorial photographs, will speak on "Photographing the Dead: A Process of Love, Remembrance and Grieving" in what is sure to be a fascinating lecture. 

A reception with light refreshments will follow the lecture.

This event is open to the public and admission is free.

The lecture is in conjunction with the exhibition:

Sleeping Beauties

Memorial Photographs from the Burns Archive

April 11 – May 31, 2011

Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery Press Release:

For as much as people of the 21st century avoid the subjects of death and postmortem photography, those of the 19th century embraced it. The living were depicted with their deceased loved ones with whom they were often not portrayed previously. The personal nature of postmortem imagery frequently makes it difficult for us to view memorial images from the past much less from our own time. This exhibition will survey memorial photography from the 19th through 21st centuries and show how the artistic efforts of the photographers contributed to the emotional qualities of the images. The imagery connects us across the generations to those who would have died unnoticed had they not been given by photographic means a kind of immortality.

Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery . University of Maryland, Baltimore County . 1000 Hilltop Circle . Baltimore MD 21250

Exhibition and Book Signing: Romancing The Bug

Stanley Burns and Alice Lease Dana

ROMANCING THE BUG

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALICE LEASE DANA

EXHIBITION APRIL 3-23, 2011

RECEPTION AND BOOK SIGNING

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2011   6PM – 8PM

THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB

15 Gramercy Park South

New York, NY 10003

    A reception and book signing for the release of Romancing the Bug accompanied an exhibition of photographs presented in contemporary and antique frames.

     Alice Dana’s flower and insect photographs are fresh and colorful images of one of the most basic natural processes for the maintenance of life on earth. With the delight of new discoveries, Dana captured these relationships with an appreciation for the beauty of the forces and harmony of nature. The actions displayed are often fleeting, and certainly intense, for each insect as it interacts with a flower, goes about its business swiftly and then departs. These photographs offer a revealing look at the propagation of life. Insects- loathed creatures to most of us- become beautiful partners in our love of the planet.

Order Romancing the Bug  from

BURNS ARCHIVE PRESS • $24.00

140 East 38th Street, New York, NY 10016

212.889.1938

A Slideshow of Images from Romancing the Bug:

LISTEN TODAY 3:00pm-4:00pm EST Dr.Burns on The Conversation with Ross Reynolds

Dr. Burns was interviewed about The Burns Collection on Seattle's NPR Station KUOW, The Conversation with Ross Reynolds. 

You could have listened live, from 3:00pm-4:00pm EST on March 31st, 2011, by clicking HERE.

Subsequently, it could have been found HERE.

The Conversation is no longer on the air, however, but it has been archived.

"The Conversation covers current events in politics, public affairs, culture and science. Host Ross Reynolds opens the phone for listeners to participate in spirited discussions on the issues of the day. 

Twitter: KUOWRoss | Facebook: KUOWRoss"

To find stories by The Conversation older than October 15, 2012, go to www2.kuow.org and select "The Conversation" from the show dropdown menu in the search function.

CBS NEWS Coverage- Eye Care in the 1800s

CBS News Online covered the Burns Archive with the story Eye Care in the 1800s: 14 Shocking Photos From the Burns Archive. The article became the most popular on cbsnews.com last week. 

Please check out the coverage here.

Sleeping Beauty III Book Release, Lecture & Reception at The Merchant's House Museum

Dr. Burns Lecturing on the History of Postmortem Photography

Dr. Burns Speaking about the Exhibition Memento Mori

Eva Ulz- Education Coordinator and Curator of
Memento Mori: The Birth & Resurrection of Postmortem Photography

Dr. Burns Signing Sleeping Beauty

Sarah Simms, Dr. Stanley Burns, Lissa Rivera, Leslie Hodgkins, Hal Hirshorn

TOMORROW NIGHT! Book Release Reception and Lecture for Sleeping Beauty III

Wednesday, November 17, 7 p.m.


Reading: Sleeping Beauty III Memorial Photography: The Children 
Dr. Stanley Burns of The Burns Archive will speak about the practice of postmortem photography from the 19th century until today, and sign copies of his latest book in the renowned Sleeping Beauty series. A reception to meet the author will follow. 
Free, space is limited.


Merchant's House Museum
29 East Fourth Street, New York, NY 10003
The Museum is located between Lafayette Street and Bowery


To RSVP Call 212-777-1089


To read more about postmortem photography at The Burns Archive click here:
http://theburnsarchive.blogspot.com/2010/06/postmortem-photography-at-burns-archive.html

ABC News Coverage of Memento Mori Exhibition

ABC NEWS ONLINE

See Photo gallery http://abcnews.go.com/US/slideshow/memento-mori-exhibition-12004622

By KAREN RUSSO

Nov. 1, 2010

Photographs of parents posing next to their dead children and the sound of dripping water simulating ice melting over a decomposing body are both disturbing and heart-breaking components of a new exhibition at the Merchant House Museum.

"Memento Mori" includes more than 50 postmortem memorial photographs and ephemera from the Burns Archive which is considered to be the largest private archive of historic photography. The exhibition also includes modern takes on memorial photography.

Postmortem photographs became popular after the introduction of photography in the mid-19th century. Although it seems morbid, photographs of the dead were done out a desire to preserve an image of a loved one.

"These portraits were not for public consumption," said Dr. Stanley B. Burns, 72, the archives' owner. "They were held very close to the chest."

In many cases, especially with children, family members often died before relatives had an opportunity to take their portraits.

 It's macabre but it doesn't creep me out," said Vincent Warren, 72, a library curator from Montreal, Canada. Warren happened upon the exhibition while touring the Merchant House Museum, a historic Federal style row house in Manhattan's East Village built in 1832.

Warren said the exhibition makes him think about the tremendous grief parents must have experienced when they lost their children.

"It wasn't easy," he noted. "It's sad, that's what it is. We're all going to turn to dust."

The Merchant House Museum was home to a single family for more than 100 years and still includes the house's original furniture and decorations. However, one thing is missing: postmortem photography. In particular, there were no postmortem photographs of Seabury Tredwell, the patriarch of the family. As a result, photographer Hal Hirshorn. 45, created his own vision of the Tredwell wake scene.

Hirshorn uses an old-fashioned salt-and-gelatin developing technique in his modern-day work. For him, it was a rare opportunity to use his 19th century style in the museum's 19th century environment. Hirshorn's seven photographs taken in the Merchant House Museum show the possible wake scene, including female models posing as Tredwell's mourning widow and daughter.

"Death really happened at home," said Eva Ulz, the museum's education and communications manager. She compared it to today when wakes and memorial services are held in funeral parlors outside the private home.

The idea that a family lived and mourned their dead relatives was part of the inspiration for artist Sarah Lohman's exhibition component.

Lohman's idea for the disturbing and distracting sound of dripping water in one of the Merchant bedrooms comes from a passage by Dr. Burns in his postmortem photography book Sleeping Beauty II: "When a body was laid out over ice in her family's parlor, the sound of melting ice dripping into pans kept her awake. To this very day, dripping sounds brings back to her the memories of dead bodies and sleepless nights."

"The idea that something as everyday as a dripping faucet could conjure up such a powerful image of death intrigued me," Lohman explained. "Life is a multi-sensory experience; I believe that invoking these senses to connect with people of the past is a very powerful teaching tool."

Rock Photographer Bob Gruen's Birthday Party

Rock & Roll’s leading photographer Bob Gruen celebrated at “R” Bar with dozens of his friends. He enjoyed the company of aged rockers, photographers, publishers, writers, artists, actors, musicians and contemporary personalities. At the event Burns met with Steven Goff, owner of Global PSD who prints the Burns Archive books, as well as Rock & Roll collector and entrepreneur Larry Marion of the Not Fade Away Gallery. Marion presented Burns with an advance copy of his soon to be released book on the Stones, The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs: The Bob Bonis Archive 1964-1966.  The Stones images can be viewed and purchased at the NotFadeAwayGallery.com website. Burns has been associated with Larry and his brother Marty for over 35 years in various photographic exhibitions and publishing ventures. In 2001, Marty presented the exhibition The Collector as Photographer: The Photographs of Stanley B. Burns, MD at a New York Gallery. The party started at 7:30 and the music started after 11:30, but the next day’s work precluded staying late. 

Dr. Burns Meets Joe Beasley at his Gold Medal Dinner

     October 19th Dr. Burns met with Joe Beasley, founder of African Ascension, Georgia Congress persons and other members of various African American organizations at a dinner held in Beasley’s honor at the National Arts Club. Under discussion was displaying Burns’ traveling exhibition Shadow and Substance: African American Photographs from the Burns Archive in a Georgia institution. The show was seen in Indiana in 2009 and Maryland in 2010.

     ‘Ambassador’ Joe Beasley, the distinguished founder and President of African Ascension, was honored for his work in education. African Ascension’s mission is to expand the political, socio-economic integration and cohesion of people of African Ancestry and descent globally. Born in 1936 to Georgia sharecroppers, Beasley became one of the major leaders of Georgia’s black community and then went on to leadership roles in several national organizations. His work to improve the quality of life of people on the African Continent and those of African descent worldwide is facilitated also by the Joe Beasley Foundation, a quality of life improvement organization, focusing on social injustice, economic prosperity and education inequalities. He is a well-known personality on the African Continent as he is advisor and confidant to several African governments.

 

Hale House Event at Artsource International

     Dr. Burns consulted with Joyce Chasan and the members of her organization Art Source International, LLC as well as representatives of Hale House in their program of the de-acquisition of paintings. The art works by African American artists of the last half of the 20th century are being offered by Chasan in her gallery. A combined exhibition of the art works and African American photographs from the Burns Collection was proposed.
    Joyce Towbin Chasan and Thomas F Knapp hosted a reception in honor of The Hale House for the de-acquisition of their unique fine art collection of Harlem Renaissance Art. These works, acquired over the years from local artists, galleries and patrons supported the important social efforts undertaken by Mother Hale and The Hale House to care for children and families in distress.This collection represents historically important and salient examples of the best of the black art experience. Included are pieces by both members of the Harlem Renaissance movement and modern masters influenced by their vision. 

Lecture on the History of the Burns Collection Exhibitions and Publications at Flair Symposium, Harry Ransom Center

Dr. Burns Outside the Harry Ransom Center

Between September 30 and October 2, 2010 The Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas, Austin held its Ninth Biennial Flair Symposium, the first devoted to photography. In association with the event the H.R.C. presented its most revered photographic treasures. A landmark exhibition showcasing the Gernsheim Collection and in conjunction presented Roy Flukinger’s spectacular text on the Gernsheims. The seminar consisted of lectures and panels about photographic collecting, exhibition, publication, and comments by noted photographers on producing and teaching photography. Helmut Gernsheim was the seminal collector who was able to acquire the earliest photographs taken by the discoverers of photography and also of the significant innovators who followed them up to the modern era. The Gernsheim Collection bought by the Harry Ransom Center includes the worlds first photograph taken by Niepce in 1827 as well as Daguerre’s first daguerreotypes. Roy Flukinger’s landmark catalog documents not only the Gernsheims’ accomplishments but also presents a detailed history of nineteenth and twentieth century photography.

Thomas F. Staley, Director of the Harry Ransom Center 

Discovering the Language of Photography:
The Gernsheim Collection Exhibition

In the 1950s-70s the Gernsheims along with MOMA’s Beaumont Newhall wrote texts on the history of photography which became road maps for scholars, curators and collectors. But their texts mainly emphasized the British, French and American pioneers with some German innovators. The following scholars continued the trend set by these original pioneers in the study of art photography and innovators. Collecting and discovering the amateur and journeyman photographers remained a fertile field for collecting for Burns and others interested in history, culture and changing nature of life and living through the lens.

Photography's Historiography Panel (Moderated by David Coleman)
J. B. Colson, Alison Nordström, Marta Weiss and Bodo von Dewitz

Dr. Burns was invited to speak at the seminar honoring Helmut Gernsheim as his collection and work is parallel to Gernsheim’s. The Burns’ accomplishments reflects the second critical aspect of photographic history, one that is now just becoming generally appreciated. Like Gernsheim’s, Burns’ collection in its field is without peer. Burns collects and emphasizes photography’s utilitarian use by people, professions and cultures. In dozen’s of subjects and through 43 books Burns has laid down the basics of the use of photography, now popularized by many as ‘vernacular’ photography. Gernsheim spearheaded collecting and writing about innovators and the art of photography. Modern photo historians and collectors following Gernsheim’s precedents are generally interested in this thread of photographic history which represents the innovators of each generation who used cameras and photographic processes in new or creative ways. 

Dr. Burns Speaks about the History of
The Burns Collection and Exhibitions & Publications

The history of photography as Burns points out is two fold, especially in the United States where photography was ubiquitous and was able to be practiced by everyone. Dr. Burns has avoided collecting popular genres such as entertainment and sports photography. In almost all other fields and in dozens of specific subjects Burns’ collection is the pioneer effort and accumulation. In several fields Burns’ texts are similarly the road maps for future collectors, scholars and curators. Some of the generally recognized topics of the Burns Collection are memorial photography, painted tintypes, photographic frames, manipulated photography, medical, forensic, African American, war and Judaic photography.

Displaying a Slide of 'Dissected Head, 1905'

Other images/topics discussed in the lecture:

Exhibit at University of Albany Art Museum
Searching the Criminal Body: Art, Science, Prejudice

More images from the Fleur Cowles Flair Symposium:

Newsweek Special Feature- History Revealed: Rare and Unusual Images from the Burns Archive

Please visit our Newsweek feature where over 25 photographs and stories are on view along with a video interview with Dr.Burns about his collection.  Click HERE to view the story on Newsweek.com



(Click twice on the video above to see full-frame ) 

Burns Archive Photos to be Featured in PBS Series 'God in America'

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

PBS Series God in America airs October 11, 12, & 13, 2010

Produced and Directed by Sarah Colt

God in America examines the potent and complex interaction between religion and democracy, the origins of the American concept of religious liberty, and the controversial evolution of that ideal in the nation's courts and political arena. The series considers the role religious ideas and institutions have played in social reform movements from abolition to civil rights, examining the impact of religious faith on conflicts from the American Revolution to the Cold War, and how guarantees of religious freedom created a competitive American religious marketplace. 

Shaping the History of Photography: The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin Presents the Ninth Biennial Fleur Cowles Flair Symposium

September 30-October 2, 2010

Harry Ransom Center, 21st and Guadalupe Streets, Austin, Texas

Dr. Burns Will be presenting the history of The Burns Collection Exhibitions consisting of over 50 museum and gallery shows between 1978-2011. 

"The symposium springs from Discovering the Language of Photography: The Gernsheim Collection, the Ransom Center’s exhibition of this foundational collection of the medium’s history. Curators, collectors, historians, and photographers will participate in a series of panel discussions that focus on the areas in photography on which the Gernsheims had such impact—collecting, exhibiting, publishing, and historiography. Leaders in their fields will consider the forces that have historically shaped these areas, as well as the contemporary influences and developing trends that continue to affect our understanding of the history of photography."

On Photographic Exhibitions, Saturday, October 2, 10 a.m.

Moderator:

Anne Tucker, Gus and Lyndall Wortham Curator, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX

Stanley B. Burns, MD, FACS, Executive Director, The Burns Archive and Clinical Professor of Medicine and Psychiatry, New York University, Langone Medical Center, New York, NY

Marianne Fulton, Photography curator, writer, appraiser and adjunct faculty, School of Journalism, The University of Texas at Austin

Clint Willour, Curator, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX

Learn more about this symposium by clicking HERE

Memento Mori- The Exhibition & Opening at The Merchant's House Museum

Below are a few photographs illustrating the exhibition at The Merchant's House Museum. According to historic preservation rules the installation had to be creatively planned. No photos could be hung on the walls or placed directly on the furniture of this beautifully preserved 19th century home, nor could there be bright lights or flash photography. Memento Mori curator Eva Ulz did a great job of displaying a rich amount of information to compliment the historical and contemporary images. Early daguerreotypes and ambrotypes are exhibited in closets, waiting to be discovered. Three traditional wood displays encase memorial ephemera including postmortem photographs, coffin plates and cards. There is a sound and scent component to the exhibition as well- the rooms are perfumed and subtle recordings can be heard.

The Opening Sign

A View of the Rear Parlor

A View of the Front Parlor

Reproduction Casket by Artist Marian St. Laurent
On Display in Eliza Tredwell's Bedroom on the Second Story of the House

One of the Informational Timelines Created by the Museum
The Postmortem Photo on the Left is a Print from Sleeping Beauty II

Postmortem Daguerreotypes & Ambrotypes
Displayed on the 'Whatnot' Shelf

One of the Three Cases Displaying Postmortem Paper Prints

Another One of the Postmortem Display Cases

Dr. Burns With His Video Camera Before the Opening Reception

Eva Ulz: Giving the Coffin a Test Run
Visitors to the exhibition can try out the coffin and
have their own postmortem photograph recorded.

Lissa Rivera of The Burns Archive
Reading the Display by Marian St. Laurent

Alice Lease Dana of The Burns Archive
Modeling her Mantilla in the 'Secret' Garden

A Slideshow of Photos From the Opening Reception

Dr. Burns 'At Rest' After a Hard Day's Work
A Souvenir From the Opening Reception

Visitors to the opening had their own postmortem taken as a souvenir to the event. Anyone who visits is encouraged to try out the coffin and have their own photo captured. The museum has started a Flickr gallery to collect and share the images. Click HERE to see who has been brave enough to step inside! 

Even if you did not make it to the opening you can still see the exhibit through November 29. There will be events such as a book signing & lecture with Dr.Burns as well as a 1865 Funeral Reenactment held by the museum staff. Please keep an eye on this blog and the Merchant's House Museum Calendar HERE.

Preparations for the Upcoming War Exhibition with Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) 2012

Dr. Burns was visited by Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator Photography (MFAH) and Will Michels, War Photography Exhibition Guest Curator (MFAH) and expert on military photography. Research was conducted on The Burns Collection's war photography, particularly medical aspects, special battles, arms albums and revolutions. Tucker and Michels viewed thousands of photographs- from the Crimean War (1854-56) through Vietnam and The Cold War (1989) over an eight hour period.

Will Michels, Dr. Burns, Anne Wilkes Tucker and Lissa Rivera
Viewing the Civil War Medical Photography of Dr. Reed B. Bontecou 

Examining Dr. Reed Bontecou’s Civil War photographs of wounded soldiers. The images are shown in the design layout for Dr. Burns new book Shooting Soldiers: 101 Regiments, Photographs by Reed B. Bontecou, MD. Over 1000 photographs taken by Bontecou will be presented in four volumes now in production.

Will Michels, Dr. Burns and Anne Wilkes Tucker
‘The Ehrhardt Guns Album'

 ‘The Ehrhardt Guns Album' showcased the complete artillery catalogue of the company as well as early armored cars. The album also details the materials necessary to transport the weapons from mules to cars. It was a special memento- signed: “Presented as a Remembrance of the Visit of His Imperial Highness Prince Tsai Tao of China to the Proving Grounds at Unterluss, June 16th 1910” Dedicated by Rheinische Metallwaren - und Maschinenfabrik (Dusseldorf). The photographs document the war and Artillery Commissions from Chile, Italy, Turkey, Romania and especially China displaying latest in weapons, as well as the visits of the German Emperor, Imperial Highness Archduke Leopold Salvator of Austria,  His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Serge Michailowitsch of Russia. The guns represented majority of  the heavy weapons that would soon be use by German-Austrian axis members during World War I.

Mexican Revolutionary Firing Squad 1910

Discovering new photographs related to the Mexican Revolution 1910-1917 –including an album taken by Poncho Villa’s physician.

Over 2,000 Bains Co. WWI Photographs

Viewing the collection of over 2,000 Bains Co., Signal Corps and German images of World War I. Over two dozen albums by nurses and physicians were also evaluated. Images of plastic surgery repair of head and neck wounds were the highlight along with images of pioneer efforts of government rehabilitation programs.

Looking at a Display of Revolutions
Germany 1918, Russia 1917-18, Morocco 1920’s, Syria 1925, Cuba 1933

Examining photographs of The Day of Potsdam, March 21, 1933

Examining photographs of The Day of Potsdam, March 21, 1933

Known now in Germany as the unholy ‘Day of Potsdam.’ The ‘Day of Potsdam’ is a symbol for the disastrous relationship between National Socialism and Prussianism which lead to the Enabling Act of 1933, giving the Nazis full legislative powers, even allowing deviations from the constitution. In these original photographs by Helmut Kurth-Goering’s personal photographer we see not only Hitler but rare images of Heinrich Hoffmann- Hitler’s personal photographer. Hoffmann’s photographs of Hitler and WWII are icons of German efforts at propaganda and the functioning of the German WWII war machine.

The Largest Collection of Images Related to the Battle of Nomonhan

Nomonhan- the 1939 episode in which Japan attacked Russia (May-October) with an outcome that changed world history.  Stalin sent General Georgi Zhukov with new T32 tanks to defeat the Japanese. Zhukov’s victory became possible due to his detailed planning and skillful use of motorized artillery against the Japanese Army. He was awarded the title ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and promoted to full general. It was Zhukov who later defeated the Nazi’s in the Eastern Front and conquered Berlin. Japan, an island nation, gave up the idea of attacking and evacuated Russia with its army. The Japanese Imperial war machine decided to strike 'south' with its navy and attack the United States. Dr. Burns believes it is the most important battle related to or part of WWII as the defeat altered Japanese interests and cooperation with the Nazis. As a result of the loss of the Japanese threat Russia could move its factories over the Urals away from Hitler’s armies. When the showdown came at the Battle of Moscow (The largest battle ever fought) and the Battle of Stalingrad, Stalin was able to call on dozens of Manchurian, Siberian and other Asian divisions to surprise Hitler’s armies and defeat them. Had these divisions (millions of men) not been available Hitler would have single-handedly won his Russian campaign and conquered all of Europe.

Looking at a D-Day Photograph Taken on Omaha Beach

Dozens of Nazi and American soldier’s albums were explored and including ones relating to the crimes of the Wehrmacht. While the crimes of the SS, especially the SS- Totenkopfverbände and particularly the SS- Einsatzgruppen and SD are well known, the regular armed forces represented by the Wehrmacht committed war crimes of their own, particularly on the Eastern Front in the war against the Soviet Union. The albums soldiers created were often well documented with dates, location and units involved.

Presenting an Unusual 'Cold War'' Album

This album was made by a Russian soldier sent to guard duty in East Germany in the mid 1970s. It wass beautifully illustrated and painted. A rare military memento made by a common soldier.

To learn more about...

Anne Wilkes Tucker, Curator Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston- visit this LINK

Will Michels, Guest Curator, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston- visit this LINK

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston- visit this LINK