The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery will open a new exhibition of Civil War photography on July 1. “Powerful Partnerships: Civil War-Era Couples” is the title of the new exhibit. According to press materials about the soon-to-be-opened show:
Long before the term “power couple” found its way into the English lexicon, dynamic duos had been making their mark on U.S. history. “Powerful Partnerships: Civil War-Era Couples” presents five couples who shaped the nation during tumultuous times, as seen through Mathew Brady’s lens. A leader among the first generation of American photographers, Brady established galleries in New York City (1844) and Washington, D.C. (1858), where he and his associates captured the likenesses of many of the nineteenth century’s most influential figures. Featuring modern prints made from original Brady negatives in the Portrait Gallery’s Frederick Hill Meserve Collection, the exhibition introduces visitors to the exploits of Nathaniel P. Banks and Mary Theodosia Palmer Banks, John C. Frémont and Jessie Benton Frémont, Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Dent Grant, George Brinton McClellan and Mary Ellen Marcy McClellan, and Charles Sherwood Stratton and Lavinia Warren Stratton (better known to the public as Mr. and Mrs. Tom Thumb).
NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery tells the multifaceted story of the United States through the individuals who have shaped American culture. Spanning the visual arts, performing arts and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists whose lives tell the nation’s story.
The National Portrait Gallery is located at Eighth and G streets N.W., Washington, D.C. Smithsonian Information: (202) 633-1000. Connect with the museum
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