By David J. Kent
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Many Lincoln Group members attended Craig Howell’s tour of Congressional Cemetery a few years ago. Famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady’s gravestone is one of many famous graves at the site. On September 17, 2022, there will be a grand new memorial that will be on everyone’s tour list, thanks to Civil War era photograph collector (and Lincoln Group member) Larry West.
Inspired by Craig’s tour, Larry dedicated himself to creating an admixture of monument, final resting place, and art exhibit honoring Mathew Brady. That memorial itself will be dedicated in September. And we are all invited.
The new memorial is being built to present Mathew Brady the entrepreneur and posing artist. Brady was a major recorder not just of the Civil War, for which he is best remembered, but American history and all Americans across the races in a time when racial segregation was the norm. Details of the memorial will be revealed at the dedication, but Brady, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass will all be represented along with vintage photography. Want more info? You have to come to the dedication to find out (but I can tell you that the effect is spectacular).
The dedication ceremony will be held at the Brady gravesite in Historic Congressional Cemetery (1801 E St, SE, Washington, DC) on Saturday, September 17, 2022, from 2 pm to 4 pm. No reservations are required, but please RSVP on our Events page so we have an approximate head count. Refreshments will be available (cash bar and finger food) and there will be music and an image table with examples of daguerreotype, ambrotype, and tin type photography. There will also be a few (very) brief speeches. Speakers include:
Larry J. West Photo-historian, Brady Collector, African American Archive Dealmaker, and Designer & Builder of this Memorial
Grant Romer Photo-historian, Daguerreotype Worldwide Lecturer, Educator, and Master Conservator
David J. Kent President, Lincoln Group of DC, and Author, Lincoln: The Fire of Genius
Clifford Krainik Brady Lifetime Researcher & Author, Frequent Contributor to White House Association Publications
More information about the program will be forthcoming as we get closer to the dedication event, but now is the time to put the date on your calendar. Click over to our Events page to RSVP. The event is free and open to the public.
[Photo by David J. Kent, 2018]