Alexander Gardner 1821- 1882

An American photographer, first starting off as a  young reporter and newspaper editor in Glasgow, Scotland. Gardner dreamed of a living in a rustic american wilderness. He selected a place in Iowa to live, and even sent family and friends to live there, however Gardner never joined them. Instead, when he disembarked in New York he remained. Where he became Matthew Brady's assistant for seven years. Then the Civil War broke out.  In 1866 he published Gardner's Photographic Sketch Book of the War, the first published collection of Civil War photographs. He worked with Tim O'Sullivan and 11 other photographers.  It was a complete commercial failure. After the war he finally traveled West to his promised land, taking photographs along the way.