By Danny Contreras
An exhibition featuring lithographs and envelope covers made by the Kellogg brothers in Connecticut during the Civil War opened on Wednesday.
The Maloney Hall exhibition, which is a collaboration between the CCSU art department and the Connecticut Historical Society, contains over 20 pieces of works.
The lithographs featured in the exhibit are created by carving into stone, metal or other smooth surfaces. The prints are then inked onto a piece of paper and colored.
“These lithographs are part of our collection,” said Richard Malley, the head of research and collection for the historical society. “The lithographs illustrate how news of the war and images of the war were shared among the civilian population of the north during the war. These were produced in large quantities very inexpensively.”
The Civil War was fought from 1861-1865 by the United States of America (Union states) and the Confederate States of America (Confederacy) over state rights. The war started soon after seven states, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, seceded from the union. The Civil War killed as many as 600,000 men.
The exhibition’s lithographs are very distinct from the other artwork of the time.
“A lot of these are based on written accounts by reporters, what we would call combat correspondents today,” said Malley. “Which these written reports would be telegraphed back, to Hartford for example, and the artists at the Kellogg’s farm would sit down and try to recreate the accounts – the witness accounts of the engagement.”
The Kellogg brothers were an important Hartford publishing firm in the 19th century and created thousands of colorful prints for home and business use. The exhibit commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Events continue on and off the CCSU campus into April with war reenactments at Stanley Quarter Park and speakers at CCSU on April 16 and 17.
“It was probably the most available technique to provide what today we would call real time,” said Malley.
The prints were popular thanks to their cheapness and their vivid detail of the war.
“They could be purchased for a few cents a sheet, a few cents a copy,” said Malley. “And people would hang them in their house, they hung them in public buildings and so on. In the days before wire photos and cellphones photos it was a way to convey the events of the war to the folks back home.”
The exhibition will be open between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 22.
