@MatthewBradyPhotos

 

It's not my favorite word;

I baely spell it or say it correctly,

But it's important in this poem.
So… Daguerreotype.

Louis Daguerre, in France,
Invented the technique;
Painter Samuel Morse
Telegraphed, as in spread the word,

In the States, about this process

So young and unique.

Then Matthew Brady,
Morse's student, over time

Created a vast gallery, portraits

Of men and women,
Of battlefields, of death
Of destruction; of things
Many likely prefer they'd not have seen.

But people looked then. and over the years
At the harsh copper and glass images
As we look at similar photos today

On screens large and small.

And I wonder, were Matthew Brady here,
Would he join us in the social media fray?
Yes, @MatthewBradyPhotos,
That would be his handle
On Instagram, I think,
Or maybe he'd have chosen
Something harder to say–
@daguerreotype_guy.

Maybe he'd use hashtags
We use today- #GettysburgPA,
#blueandgray #blackandwhite
#deathanddestruction.
One thing for sure
@MatthewBradyPhotos
Would use few words–

As they did nearly
Eight score years ago
His Civil War #daguerreotypes
Would speak volumes.

Photo Credit: Art History Unstuffed