Ruins of Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia

Alexander Gardner was a Scottish photographer who is best known for his photographs of the American Civil War. He was born on October 17, 1821, in Paisley, Scotland, and began his career as a jeweler's apprentice. However, he soon became interested in photography and moved to Glasgow to work as a photographer's assistant. In 1856, Gardner emigrated to the United States and opened a photography studio in Washington, D.C. He quickly gained a reputation as a skilled photographer and was hired by Mathew Brady to work for his studio. Gardner became one of Brady's most trusted assistants and was responsible for many of the studio's most famous photographs. During the Civil War, Gardner was sent by Brady to photograph the Union Army's campaigns. He took some of the most iconic images of the war, including the first photograph of President Abraham Lincoln at Antietam and the famous "Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter" photograph. After the war, Gardner continued to work as a photographer and opened his own studio in Washington, D.C. He also traveled extensively and took photographs of Native American tribes in the West. Gardner died on December 10, 1882, in Washington, D.C. His legacy as one of the most important photographers of the Civil War era lives on through his powerful images that captured the horrors and heroism of one of America's darkest periods.