NASHVILLE — The Tennessee State Museum is seeking family photographs of Tennesseans who fought during the Civil War. The images could become part of an exhibit in the new museum, currently under construction on the Bicentennial Mall in downtown Nashville.
Both the State Museum and State Library and Archives currently have Civil War soldier photographs in their collections, but the museum’s curators would like to encourage Tennesseans who have ancestors who fought in the Civil War to share any photographs they might have.
“Our goal is to feature the faces of Tennesseans who went to war — both Union and Confederate soldiers,” Richard White, museum curator, said. “While we have photos as part of our collection, as we build the new museum and plan for the Civil War exhibit, we thought this was an opportune time to ask for submissions of photos that we may not have seen over the years.”
Submitted photographs do not need to show soldiers in uniform, but they do need to show them around the time of the war or right after the war (1861-1867).
The images will be showcased in the new Civil War exhibit with the soldier’s name and county listed. The museum hopes to include many of the photographs, but cannot promise to use all photographs it receives.
The museum asks that only copies of photos are submitted, not originals. Entries may be submitted digitally or through the mail and should include the soldier’s name, the Tennessee county where he was from, and the unit with which he served (if known.) Please include contact information, email or phone number, in the event that the museum staff has questions. Documents will not be returned.
Copies should be mailed (no originals) to Civil War Soldier Photographs, Tennessee State Museum, 505 Deaderick St., Nashville, TN 37243-1120.
To submit an ancestor’s photograph digitally, send the image to CWFaces@tnmuseum.org.
The digital image must be high resolution, at least 300 dpi (dots per inch).
“If you don’t have a scanner at home, we recommend that you visit a nearby photo center and have the image scanned or copied there,” White added.
All entries, whether by mail or digital submission, must be received by April 25. For questions, email CWfaces@TNmuseum.org or call (615) 253-0108.
