"This book showcases Ulysses S. Grant, from his first photograph--taken just after his graduation from West Point--to his last breath at Mount McGregor. To help the reader understand Grant's decisions, Bultema included excerpts from Grant's writing around the time the pictures were taken"--
The most photographed American of the nineteenth century
As Grant battled relentlessly down the Tennessee River and across Tennessee, defending Shiloh, he was followed by an enterprising group of studio photographers hoping to profit from the public’s demand for images of the rising general from the West. They never stopped because Grant never stopped. Thus far, 307 distinct photographs have been found of Ulysses S. Grant, revealing him to be the most photographed American of the nineteenth century.
Readers of Ulysses S. Grant: A Photographic History travel alongside Grant through the Civil War and his two terms as president, on his unusual two-year journey around the world, and to his final days on Mount McGregor. The sheer volume of exposure shows the toll of duty, war, and command. From every angle, this collection captures Grant’s regard for soldier and family, his disregard of uniform, and his disheveled appearance that reflected his resilience. The reader will look into the eyes of a man who saw the worst and labored for the best.
This curated volume opens the largest collection of Grant photos to the public for the first time. Excerpts from Grant’s personal writings divulge his candid thoughts about the people he posed with and the situations he faced around the time the photographs were taken. An extraordinary addition to Grant scholarship, Ulysses S. Grant: A Photographic History will be the photographic reference work on Grant for decades to come as the simple man from Ohio continues to astonish the world.
This curated volume opens the largest collection of Grant photos to the public for the first time. Excerpts from Grant’s personal writings divulge his candid thoughts about the people he posed with and the situations he faced around the time the photographs were taken.
Contents
Foreword by Frank J. Williams
Preface
A Readers Guide
A Short Biography of Ulysses S. Grant
1. West Point to Major General, 18431864
2. Lieutenant General, 18641866
3. General of the Army, 18661869
4. President of the United States, 18691877
5. Trip around the World, 18771879
6. The Final Years, 18791885
7. The Grant Family
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index
James Bultema is the vice president of the board of directors of the Ulysses S. Grant Association. His collection of images, the Bultema-Williams Collection of Ulysses S. Grant Photographs and Prints, is now housed at the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University. He is the author of several books on policing, including The Protectors: A Photographic History of Police Departments in the U.S.
