Lesson Plan: Civil War Portrait Photography

This lesson highlights the role and impact of portrait photography during and after the American Civil War. The lesson, which features the American Battlefield Trust’s Melissa Winn speaking at a conference hosted by Shenandoah University’s Civil War Institute, opens with two reflective questions that ask students to reflect on why we take photographs and what keepsakes they may have from close family or friends. Students then view an introductory video clip in which Winn provides opening remarks for her lecture about the rise of portrait photography during the Civil War.  JANUARY 17, 2024