The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery is taking part in the commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln with a series of seven related exhibitions. The exhibitions will complement the installation of Civil War portraits and related objects that are on display in the museum’s “American Origins,” exhibition which charts the nation's story from pre-colonial days through the end of the nineteenth century. Beginning with “The Death of Ellsworth,” which opened in April 2011, the museum will focus on another story of the Civil War each year of the commemoration, ending with a major retrospective about the photography of Alexander Gardner. Accompanied by ongoing stellar educational programs, weekly blog entries, podcasts and videos written and produced by experts on Civil War topics, these exhibitions look to enlighten our visitors with some familiar—and forgotten—stories about the Civil War.
EXHIBITIONS
The Confederate Sketches of Adalbert Volck
(March 30, 2012, through Jan. 21, 2013)
Mathew Brady’s Photographs of Union Generals
(March 30, 2012, through May 2015)
Bound for Freedom’s Light: African Americans and the Civil War
(Feb. 1, 2013, through March 2, 2014)
Washington During the Civil War
(Dec. 13, 2013, through Jan. 25, 2015)
Grant and Lee
(March 14, 2014, through April 19, 2015)
Alexander Gardner
(October 31, 2014, through May 3, 2015)
American Origins, 1600-1900
(Permanent exhibition)
COLLECTIONS
View a selection of Civil War portraits from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery
View more than 2,000 artifacts from the Civil War collections of the Smithsonian Institution
Powered by the Smithsonian Institution EDAN WidgetsPUBLICATIONS
Several Civil War-themed publications are available from the National Portrait Gallery bookstore or online.
EXHIBITIONS ONLINE
Mathew Brady's Photographs of Union Generals
Temple of Invention: History of a National Landmark
One Life: Walt Whitman, a kosmos
A Brush with History: Paintings from the National Portrait Gallery
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Explore lesson plans and activities developed for ages K-12.
View the complete list
FROM THE BLOG
Stonewall Jackson and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862
The Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862
February 6–16, 1862: The Rise of Ulysses Grant and the Fall of Forts Henry and Donelson
Lincoln and McClellan: An Army Ready for War
A New Man in Charge: George B. McClellan (Part 3)
A New Man in Charge: George B. McClellan (Part 2)
A New Man in Charge: George B. McClellan (Part 1)
View all Civil War-related blog posts.
LECTURES & PODCASTS
William T. Sherman
Face-to-Face Portrait Talk
1861: The Civil War Awakening
by Adam Goodheart
Stonewall Jackson
Face-to-Face Portrait Talk
Additional podcasts and videos are available on VIDEO
Walt Whitman and the Patent Office Building
1862: The Rise of Ulysses S. Grant
Portrait of George Custer as a Student at West Point
Munson's Hill: Battlefield Trickery in the Civil War
"The Death of Ellsworth" exhibition
Ambrose Burnside and the 1st R.I. at Camp Sprague, 1861
Lincoln's Beard: An Interview with Historian David Ward
These and other videos are available on YouTube.
UPCOMING EVENTS
PLAN YOUR VISIT
