19th Century America

The ruins of Mills House and nearby buildings, Charleston, S.C. A shell-damaged carriage and the remains of a brick chimney in the foreground. 1865. Photograph by George N. Barnard. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Shells of the buildings of Richmond, Va., silhouetted against a dark sky after the destruction by Confederates, 1865. Mathew Brady collection. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Panorama of Helena, Mont., in 1870. Photograph by William H. Jackson. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Oyster fleet in Baltimore Harbor, Md., ca. 1885. Ships' masts dominate the foreground; buildings, horse-drawn wagons, and carts visible through them. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Nashville, Tenn., from the statehouse, 1864. Photograph by George N. Barnard. Mathew Brady collection. The statehouse portico guarded by artillery in the foreground. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Easter morning, 1900. New York City's Fifth Avenue bustling with horse-drawn traffic and two motor cars. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

Chattanooga, Tenn. in time of war. Soldiers' tents and supply wagons beside the city building. 1864. Mathew Brady collection. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

A military parade down the main street of Phoenix, Ariz., ca. 1888. (Courtesy of the National Archives)

"Terminal," by Alfred Steiglitz, 1892. Original lantern slide in the International Museum of Photography, New York. (Courtesy of the National Archives)