Skip to main content

Walt Whitman as a Nurse in the Civil War

c. 1861-1864 (negative); c. 1950-1955 (print)
Print by Ansel Adams (American, 1902–1984) Negative by Mathew B. Brady (American, 1823–1896)
Brady took this portrait during the years Walt Whitman served as a volunteer wound dresser in the hospitals of Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. Whitman's writings about his visits were published in a New York newspaper in December 1864, where he wrote that "the magnetic flood of sympathy and friendship . . . does, in its way, more good than all the medicine in the world."

Object Details

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.