Brady, Mathew B.

(born c. 1823, near Lake George, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan. 15, 1896, New York, N.Y.) U.S. photographer. He learned to make daguerreotypes from Samuel F.B. Morse. In 1844 he opened the first of two studios in New York City and began photographing famous people (including Daniel Webster, Edgar Allan Poe, and Henry Clay). In 1847 Brady opened a studio in Washington, D.C., and there created, copied, and collected portraits of U.S. presidents. He achieved international fame with A Gallery of Illustrious Americans (1850). In 1861 he set out to make a complete record of the American Civil War with a staff of more than 20 photographers, including Timothy H. O'Sullivan and Alexander Gardner. He probably photographed the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg himself.

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