Petersburg Panorama 1865
A series of four photographs (previously unidentified or identified as Fredericksburg) were taken in April or early May 1865, documenting the City of Petersburg from Dunn's Hill, north of the Appomattox River. Stitched together, these images form an impressive panorama of the wartime city. While we are confident of these annotations, we are still working hard to confirm and fill in the gaps. The photos from the National Archives Collection, although unattributed, were likely taken by Timothy O'Sullivan and his associate, W. R. Pywell. The Dunn House still stands.
Before printing a finished positive for three of these negatives, the cameramen scraped the emulsion off of the sky along the tree line. This was an unfortunate practice that the photographers felt removed noticeable flaws in the emulsion and improved the finished product.. Although making the print more attractive, this tended to destroy subtle evidence important to the historian. Large witness trees, tree lines, distant buildings (like Blandford Church?), and other details would be eradicated. Nevertheless, there is a tremendous amount of valuable information contained herein.
To reveal the beauty and achievement of this panorama, the individual images have been tweaked in various ways to more seamlessly piece together the four photographs. Researchers interested in particular building details should, of course, consult the original images.
Before printing a finished positive for three of these negatives, the cameramen scraped the emulsion off of the sky along the tree line. This was an unfortunate practice that the photographers felt removed noticeable flaws in the emulsion and improved the finished product.. Although making the print more attractive, this tended to destroy subtle evidence important to the historian. Large witness trees, tree lines, distant buildings (like Blandford Church?), and other details would be eradicated. Nevertheless, there is a tremendous amount of valuable information contained herein.
To reveal the beauty and achievement of this panorama, the individual images have been tweaked in various ways to more seamlessly piece together the four photographs. Researchers interested in particular building details should, of course, consult the original images.
Bearings drawn from the camera position on the Michler map intersect the various church steeples.
NARA 524503. Petersburg from Dunn's Hill (left panel).
NARA 524543. Petersburg from Dunn's Hill (left center panel).
NARA 524527. Petersburg from Dunn's Hill (right center panel).
The steeples, from left to right will read: Market St. Methodist-Episcopal; St. Joseph's Catholic; First Baptist; 2nd Presbyterian; Grace Episcopal. The 2nd Presbyterian lacked a steeple at the time.
NARA 524560. Petersburg from Dunn's Hill (right panel).
Despite the scraping of emulsion, this detail from NARA 524560 may show one of the tall brick chimneys from the Confederate leadworks southwest of town. The image is hazy, but the feature does line up well with the historic map.
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Last update 04/06/2021
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