Many Rare Images Will Be Features In Maryland Exhibit
May 2006
BALTIMORE, Md. — “The Civil War in Maryland: Rare Photographs from the Collection of the Maryland Historical Society and its Members” is open in the galleries of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library of the Maryland Historical Society (MdHS) through Oct. 14.
Curated by Ross J. Kelbaugh, the exhibit will be the largest collection of original photos of Civil War Maryland ever displayed, including many images never before exhibited. The exhibit will include rare images from Maryland Union collector Arthur G. Barrett, Civil War authors Kelbaugh and Daniel Carroll Toomey, Maryland Confederate collectors David P. Mark Sr. and Frederick D. Shroyer and others.
Key photographs on display will include: Rare outdoor photographs of the Carroll family's Doughoregan Manor; portraits of the first African American casualty of the Civil War; a newly discovered portrait of the citizen killed in the Pratt Street Riot who may also be the first Confederate soldier ever killed in the Civil War.
Also, rare photographs taken after the Battle of Antietam; the largest number of wartime photographs of Baltimore ever displayed; unpublished photographs of Fort Federal Hill in Baltimore and other Union camps around Maryland; portraits of African American soldiers from Maryland including one very rare photograph of a member of the 4th U.S. Colored Troops from the Eastern Shore who was mortally wounded;
And, the only known photographs of Barbara Frietchie, the Frederick heroine of John Greenleaf Whittier's poem of the same name; the largest collection of images of Marylanders who served in the Union and Confederate armies that has ever been exhibited; and rare Civil War stereoviews that can be viewed in 3-D.
Kelbaugh has assembled the largest private collection of vintage Maryland photographs and related material in the state. He is co-author of the Baltimore County Public School's grade 8 American History Gifted & Talented curriculum and retired from his career as an American history teacher at Catonsville High School in 2001.
In recognition of his contributions to the field, he was selected as "Teacher-Historian" by the United States Capitol Historical Society in Washington, D.C. On his retirement "Ross J. Kelbaugh Day" was declared in honor of "his lifetime commitment to providing a positive and productive learning environment for young people."
Kelbaugh pursues his second career as founder and CEO of HistoricGraphics.com, a vintage image solutions company that has provided period paintings, prints and photographs from his collections for books, magazines, media and museum exhibitions. Many items were also selected for interior sets of the movie "Gods and Generals."
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Parks at Gettysburg, and has been a consultant for the National Park Service and Maryland groups. He is author of the<i> Directory of Maryland Photographers, 1840-1900, Introduction to Civil War Photographs</i> and the recently published<i> Introduction to African American Photographs, 1840-1950.</i>
The exhibition is open during library hours Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Call (410) 685-3750 ext. 349 for more information or visit www.mdhs.org.
