The Huntington commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with a new exhibition centered solely on its Civil War imagery, complemented by a companion exhibition of manuscript material providing narrative context. Events, lectures, a special exhibition site, articles, audio, videos, and a Living History Day all contributed to The Civil War at The Huntington, a deeper look at the complicated war that took the lives of three quarters of a million people. The gallery exhibitions have closed, but the collections and content may be explored via special exhibition sites, iTunes U, and Verso, below. 

“A Strange and Fearful Interest: Death, Mourning, and Memory in the American Civil War”, (Oct. 13, 2012–Jan. 14, 2013) a major exhibition of about 200 original photographs related to the Civil War explored how images explained, reflected, and shaped a national fixation on death and mourning.  A companion exhibition, “A Just Cause: Voices of the American Civil War,” (Sept. 22, 2012–Jan. 7, 2013) explored the war-time debate on the causes and mission of “this cruel war.”

Death and the Civil War Drew Gilpin Faust, author of "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War," talks about the new PBS documentary by Ric Burns, "Death and the Civil War," which was based on her award-winning book. Faust is president of Harvard University.   Read more and listen to the lecture now on Verso

Book Club Series: Civil War  FILLED Series 1: Sept. 12, Series 2: Sept. 19 Curator Tour: A Just Cause: Voices of the American Civil War FILLED Wed., Oct. 10, 4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Civil War Living History Day Sat., Oct. 27, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Lecture: Drew Gilpin Faust and Ric Burns on “Death and the Civil War” FILLED Wed., Oct. 31, 7:30 p.m. Curator Tour: A Strange and Fearful Interest   FILLED Wed., Dec. 5, 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Lincoln and the Civil War Notable scholars talk about Abraham Lincoln. Speakers include Daniel Walker Howe, Harry S. Stout, and Sean Wilentz.     Civil War Lives Scholars explore the lives of a number of Civil War figures. Speakers include David W. Blight, James M. McPherson, Joan Waugh, and Ronald C. White Jr.

The Lincoln Lawyer Biographer Ronald C. White Jr. on the insights Abraham Lincoln gleaned from his time practicing law.     Capture the Flag A fragment of the flag from the Battle of Fort Sumter is among the rare Civil War treasures at The Huntington.   Find more Civil War Stories on VERSO

David W. Blight, Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory   Jim Downs, Sick from Freedom   Drew Gilpin Faust, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War   Gary Gallagher, The Confederate War   James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era   MORE

Making photographs in the field during the Civil War was a complicated affair. It involved a portable darkroom, bulky cameras, large sheets of glass, volatile chemicals, and clean water, not to mention resourcefulness and nerves of steel. Barret Oliver brings his darkroom and gear to The Huntington to produce hauntingly beautiful work ‘in the usual manner’ of the nineteenth-century photographer, and reflects on the arduous aspects and aesthetic rewards of using historic technology.