Thomas C. Roche (1826–1895) was a

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in other ...

known for his photographs of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. Roche's first job as a professional photographer was for Henry T. Anthony, a chemist in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, and his brother Edward, for whom he took photographs of the city and the harbor starting in 1859. He continued to work for the Anthonys during the Civil War, making photographs for his company's popular "Instantaneous Views." He also traveled on the front lines with the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

. An anecdote describes Roche's reaction to the horrors of war while photographing the construction of the Dutch Gap Canal: after an artillery shell exploded next to him, it was said, "shaking the dust from his head and his camera he quickly moved to the spot and, placing it over the pit made by the explosion, exposed his plate as coolly as if there were no danger." By 1865, Roche was photographing for General Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army. Meigs wanted to document the logistical efforts that supplied the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

armies during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. Roche would take many images of the Union base at

City Point, Virginia City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia, that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War. History 1613-18 ...

. Roche's most well-known images are the photos of dead

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

soldiers in the trenches outside of Petersburg soon after they were abandoned. After the war, Roche returned to work for the Anthonys, with whom he published a book on photography.Thomas C. Roche and Henry T. Anthony, ''How to Make Photographs: A Manual for Amateurs'', 5th ed. (New York: E. & H. T. Anthony, 1895). In the collection of the New York Public Library.

Notes

External links

Roche's photographs
from the collections of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

. 1826 births 1895 deaths American photographers War photographers 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Cultural history of the American Civil War {{US-photographer-stub