{"id":3326,"date":"2016-03-02T08:35:44","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T13:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/preserving\/?p=3326"},"modified":"2016-03-02T08:35:44","modified_gmt":"2016-03-02T13:35:44","slug":"the-photographic-history-of-the-spanish-american-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/2016\/03\/02\/the-photographic-history-of-the-spanish-american-war\/","title":{"rendered":"The Photographic History of the Spanish American War"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Spanish-American War was the first U.S. war to implement still photography and motion picture film as essential media\u00a0for recording the conflict. While the American Civil War was heavily photographed, the Spanish-American War saw an expansion of\u00a0photographic formats\u00a0to support a\u00a0multitude\u00a0of agendas, from primary\u00a0documentation to systematic propaganda. Newspapers introduced provocative photojournalism as a way drum up interest, increase sales, and exert influence. The U.S. government also recognized photography as a key instrument in re-affirming the justification\u00a0for war, swaying\u00a0public opinion and encouraging\u00a0nationalistic spirit. While the actual conflict did not last long, it did provide a conspicuous stage for the\u00a0U.S. to flex its military muscle and establish itself\u00a0as a political, economic, and military power\u00a0for\u00a0the 20th century. Publishers, such as the Pearson Company, recognized the profit potential in offering pictorial volumes to the public that illustrated a\u00a0confident and progressive U.S.<\/p>\n

In one magazine review the “Photographic History Of The Spanish-American War” publication was described as:<\/p>\n

“a sumptuous volume containing a very full pictorial and descriptive record of events on land and sea with portraits and (brief) biographies of leaders on both sides. After looking carefully through these 335 large pages, one has a broad, full and at the same time compact knowledge of the countries and cities, the ships, munitions of war, “Jackies” and soldiers, as well as all the prominent leaders,\u2014civil, military and naval\u2014on both sides, in the ” late unpleasantness.” The illustrations are finely executed and five maps add to our knowledge of all our recently acquired territories. The make-up of this choice and timely work is admirable every way.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The publishers themesleves did not hold back on expressing their own\u00a0patriotic fervor.<\/p>\n

To begin with, it was a noble and righteous struggle, entered upon mainly through motives of humanity;\u00a0<\/em>for, while injury to trade may have afforded sufficient provocation, it must be remembered that it was\u00a0<\/em>the startling revelation of Spanish cruelty in Cuba which finally aroused the people, and through them the Con<\/em>gress of the United States, to declare for armed intervention…<\/em>These photographs,\u00a0with their accompanying descriptions, therefore constitute a moving panorama of the conflict as though, with ear to telephone,\u00a0<\/em>one watched the struggle from some distant height; and the record thus preserved of a truly glorious war will prove, to both\u00a0<\/em>participants and onlookers and those who come after them, a most fitting, beautiful, and enduring memento for personal posses<\/em>sion and study.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Maxim Gun<\/p><\/div>\n

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The Awkward Squad<\/p><\/div>\n

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Fighting Tailors<\/p><\/div>\n

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Clara Barton<\/p><\/div>\n

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Exercises of Contortion<\/p><\/div>\n

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Description:<\/dt>\n
Photographic history of the Spanish-American War :a pictorial and descriptive record of events on land and sea with portraits and biographies of leaders on both sides. New York : Pearson Pub. Co., c1898.<\/span><\/dd>\n
Persistent Link:<\/dt>\n
http:\/\/nrs.harvard.edu\/urn-3:FHCL:10405236<\/a><\/dd>\n
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Repository:<\/dt>\n
Widener Library<\/dd>\n
Institution:<\/dt>\n
Harvard University<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Spanish-American War was the first U.S. war to implement still photography and motion picture film as essential media\u00a0for recording the conflict. While the American Civil War was heavily photographed, the Spanish-American War saw an expansion of\u00a0photographic formats\u00a0to support a\u00a0multitude\u00a0of agendas, from primary\u00a0documentation to systematic propaganda. Newspapers introduced provocative photojournalism as a way drum up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2559,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2559"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3326"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3326\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3862,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3326\/revisions\/3862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/preserving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}