Civil War photographer used for realism is which?

• A. Matthew Brady
• B. Ansel Adams
• C. Gordon Parks
• D. Dorothea Lange

Answer: (A)

Realism in Civil War photography hinges on documenting events as they truly appeared, with front-line scenes, hospitals, and the aftermath presented without ornate staging. Matthew Brady is the figure most associated with this approach, because he organized and funded a team of photographers who traveled to battlefields and treatment centers to capture authentic, unglamorous depictions of the war. His widespread dissemination of these images in newspapers and books helped bring the realities of the conflict home to the public, grounding the war in visible evidence rather than rumor or idealization. The other photographers listed are known for later periods or different subjects—Ansel Adams for landscape work, Gordon Parks for mid-20th-century photojournalism and social issues, and Dorothea Lange for Depression-era documentary photography—so Brady best represents this style of realism in the Civil War era.