Exhibitions

Storied Women of the Civil War Era

May 24, 2019 – March 20, 2022

Kate Bateman / Attribution: Mathew Brady Studio (active 1844 - 1894) / 1863 (printed later), Modern albumen print from wet plate collodion negative / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC

1st Floor, North Wing

See on Map Floor Plan

During the Civil War era, numerous women rose to national prominence—from First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln to the actress and Union spy Pauline Cushman. This intimate exhibition includes portraits of these and other intriguing women who captivated the public while becoming sought-after subjects for Mathew Brady’s camera. Ann Shumard, the National Portrait Gallery’s senior curator of photographs, is the curator of this exhibition.