Smithsonian curator has a fondness for a photo album from the Civil War

Smithsonian curator has a fondness for a photo album from the Civil War

Transcript¹

Curator Aaron Bryant recently spoke² to NPR about his favorite images in the Smithsonian's collection. Among them is a rare album of Black soldiers from the Civil War.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

For Black History Month, Smithsonian curator Aaron Bryant recently shared with NPR his favorite Black photographic subjects in the museum's collection. One he connects with - an album from the Civil War.

AARON BRYANT: When you look at a photograph, you not only see history captured in a way - you know, something from someone's past - but memory as well, because there are so many stories behind the photograph that we might not know. But through research, you can uncover so much more behind that two-dimensional object that's on a sheet of paper, essentially³.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

BRYANT: We have a small photo album of about 18 Civil War soldiers, and they're all Black soldiers. And the images - I think they're tintypes - and the images are about the size of a fingernail. So these are teeny, tiny, little photographs on tin, and they're in a small album that might be two, 2 1/2 inches high and wide. And the album is small enough to fit into a vest pocket or inside your coat.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

BRYANT: What's extraordinary about this album would be that these are Black Civil War soldiers, but it also raises the question, why was this album made and why was it made to be carried around, apparently⁴, in someone's pocket? And so the story is the captain was white, his soldiers were Black, and they held a special place in his heart because apparently he had gotten really ill, and they helped to nurse him back to health and save his life. And so for the rest of his life, he had this album to always remember these soldiers. And when you hear this story, it's just absolutely amazing, particularly when it's conveyed by the descendants of the troop leader.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

BRYANT: Two or three of the members of the family came in to tell us the story. And then when they showed us the album - which, if I recall correctly, they had wrapped in tissue paper - and we all looked at it, you know, people began to cry because it was just absolutely amazing to think that this was a very different perspective on American history, relationships between African Americans and white Americans. So many of us, you know, became misty-eyed as we looked at this teeny, tiny, little album with these small photographs.

And so, of course, as historical evidence, this album and these photographs are really important. But again, going back to the idea that photographs are not just historical evidence. They are, in so many ways, a reflection of humanity. And if you can understand the humanity of the subjects captured or the people who actually owned these photographs, you might be able to get in touch with your own humanity in a very different kind of way.

(SOUNDBITE OF TIM TWISS' "OLD SOLDIER")

MARTINEZ: That was Smithsonian curator Aaron Bryant.

(SOUNDBITE OF TIM TWISS' "OLD SOLDIER")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。