Relics of War: The History of a Photograph

by Amol Saghar
published on 29 October 2025

'Relics of War', authored by Jennifer Raab, is a fascinating and, at the same time, poignant book, studying the American Civil War through the lens of one photograph. Profoundly insightful and replete with moral weight, the study makes for an engaging read. It will be of interest to general readers, art historians, history enthusiasts, photographers, as well as specialists of American Civil War history.

Centered on the period of the American Civil War, Relics of War: The History of a Photograph is unique in that, rather than focusing merely on the political facets of the War, it examines the impact it had on the lives of the common people, particularly the foot soldiers. Moving away from the established narratives, this work discusses the ramifications of the War through a photograph. The book discusses the circumstances in which the said photograph was taken and its symbolic importance. In 1865, Raab notes, Clara Barton, the future founder of the American Red Cross, paid a visit to the notorious Confederate prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia. During her visit to this site, Barton came across several belongings of prisoners of war, which she collected. The majority of these relics, including, among others, whittled spoons, woven reed plates, a piece from the prison’s ‘dead line’, and a tattered Bible, belonged to the missing and the dead soldiers. Subsequently, this ‘rich’ collection of artefacts was brought back by Barton to the Missing Soldiers Office in Washington, DC.

Once in the Office, these artefacts were presented to individuals from various walks of life, including politicians, journalists, war veterans and their families, and social activists. Finally, these relics were arranged by Clara Barton in an altar shape and photographed by her colleague, Mathew Brady. This image, reproduced in Raab’s book, is powerful, to say the least. The photograph underscores the volatile relationship that existed between facets like suffering, martyrdom, and justice during the War years. Raab’s work conclusively demonstrates the importance of this one image in Barton’s ambitious project of documenting the victims of the War.

Raab highlights the fact that a substantial number of people who died in the American Civil War remained unnamed. Rarely were the bodies of the dead returned home for a respectful burial. It is in this regard that relics from the Confederate prison camp gain importance. Not only did they give a concrete form to such unnamed bodies, but they also provided a sacred site for grief and devotion. Simultaneously, the artefacts helped those left behind, viz. women and children, in preparing for a case and testify to the war crimes. Among other issues, an important theme that this book touches upon relates to racial discrimination. Based on an in-depth analysis of the photo, Raab argues that as political reconciliation began, racial discrimination, especially concerning military sacrifice, became quite discernible. This racial discrimination, not surprisingly, paved the way for the marginalization of the Black soldiers and communities in America.

Jennifer Raab is Associate Professor of the History of Art at Yale University. Relics of War is her second book. Before this, she had authored Frederic Church: The Art and Science of Detail. Based on the works of one of the most celebrated artists of the 19th-century United States of America, Frederic Church (1826-1900), the book examines at length the aesthetics of detail that fundamentally shaped 19th-century American landscape painting. Given that Church lived during the era of the War, it would be interesting to study both the books in conjunction to understand the manner in which the Civil War shaped, not just Church’s works, but also American landscape painting in the 19th century. That, along with extensive field work, Raab has spent hours in archives scrutinizing the records about the War decades, which is well-reflected in Relics of War. The author has indeed done a commendable job in that she has been able to weave a fascinating account of the American Civil War through a study of just one picture depicting relics retrieved from the dreaded Confederate prison camp. Richly illustrated, Relics of War can successfully demonstrate how one photograph can capture a politically volatile moment in history, serving as witness, advocate, evidence, and memory, all at once.

Because the book has been written in a lucid manner and for more than one type of audience, it will be of interest to general readers, art historians, history enthusiasts, photographers, as well as specialists of American Civil War history.

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