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Primary sourcePhotograph

General James Garfield

Mathew Benjamin Brady

A Civil War-era photographic portrait of James Garfield in his Union Army uniform, from the Mathew Brady studio.

This photograph depicts Garfield during his service as a Union general before his presidency.

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Black and white photograph of a bearded man in a dark military-style uniform with double-breasted buttons and a shoulder insignia, seated with one hand resting on his knee against a plain backdrop.
Mathew Brady, General James Garfield. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a photograph of James Garfield taken by Mathew Brady's studio, showing him in uniform as a Union general. It is held at the Library of Congress under the caption "Gen. James Garfield, U.S.A."

Why it matters

Before he became president, Garfield served as a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. This portrait documents that military career, taken by the famous Civil War photographer Mathew Brady, whose studio created many of the era's most recognized portraits of soldiers and leaders.

Look closer

  • What does Garfield's pose and uniform suggest about how military men wanted to be seen in photographs of this era?
  • Why might a studio portrait like this one have been made and distributed?
  • What does this image not tell you about Garfield's actual experiences in battle?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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