Alfred R. Waud, Special Artist at Petersburg
Alfred Waud from CDV collection of Theodore Lyman III. Courtesy Massachusetts Historical Society.
Alfred Rudolph Waud was an extremely talented artist who could swiftly capture a landscape and events on paper with pencil or charcoal. The most thorough biography of Waud is found in Frederick E. Ray's Our Special Artist: Alfred R. Waud's Civil War (1994). Some of that information is summarized here.
Alfred Waud was born in London in 1828 and in his youth, after showing considerable artistic talent, attended the School of Design at Somerset House, London. He found work in the theater, painting scenes and backdrops. In 1850, he emigrated first to New York City then moved to Boston where he learned to prepare wood blocks for newspaper engravers. In the mid-1850s, he married Mary Jewett, and the two raised four children. In 1860, Waud returned to New York City to work as an illustrator for the New York Illustrated News. He was adept at depicting ships and nautical scenes.
When war began, Waud was sent to the front by the New York Illustrated News as a "special artist." In late 1861, Waud joined the staff of Harper's Weekly and worked exclusively with the Army of the Potomac for the rest of the war.
In May 1864, Theodore Lyman wrote of Waud who had attached himself to army headquarters: "Friend Waud is along and with us still and sojourns with the Engineers. He draws for Harper's Weekly, very good sketches he sends them, and very poor woodcuts they make thereof. His indignation has, long since given place to sarcasm; for W. is a merry & philosophic Bohemian!" [Lowe, Meade's Army (2007), pp. 166-167]
Waud worked in and around New Orleans after the war freelancing for various illustrated newspapers and, in 1891, died in Marietta, Georgia, while on a tour to sketch southern Civil War battlefields. Many fine examples of Alfred and his brother William's postwar work are curated by the Historic New Orleans Collection. This includes published woodcuts and original drawings that are available on-line.
Alfred Waud was born in London in 1828 and in his youth, after showing considerable artistic talent, attended the School of Design at Somerset House, London. He found work in the theater, painting scenes and backdrops. In 1850, he emigrated first to New York City then moved to Boston where he learned to prepare wood blocks for newspaper engravers. In the mid-1850s, he married Mary Jewett, and the two raised four children. In 1860, Waud returned to New York City to work as an illustrator for the New York Illustrated News. He was adept at depicting ships and nautical scenes.
When war began, Waud was sent to the front by the New York Illustrated News as a "special artist." In late 1861, Waud joined the staff of Harper's Weekly and worked exclusively with the Army of the Potomac for the rest of the war.
In May 1864, Theodore Lyman wrote of Waud who had attached himself to army headquarters: "Friend Waud is along and with us still and sojourns with the Engineers. He draws for Harper's Weekly, very good sketches he sends them, and very poor woodcuts they make thereof. His indignation has, long since given place to sarcasm; for W. is a merry & philosophic Bohemian!" [Lowe, Meade's Army (2007), pp. 166-167]
Waud worked in and around New Orleans after the war freelancing for various illustrated newspapers and, in 1891, died in Marietta, Georgia, while on a tour to sketch southern Civil War battlefields. Many fine examples of Alfred and his brother William's postwar work are curated by the Historic New Orleans Collection. This includes published woodcuts and original drawings that are available on-line.
Alfred Waud's Petersburg work can be sampled below (thanks to the Library of Congress):
