UKReb
Command Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2007
- Messages
- 2,436
I have always considered the attached Brady portrait of Grant as one of the most iconic pictures of an ACW commander in the field. The ACW was not the first war to be photographed yet with this one picture Brady captured an image of perhaps the first modern no-fuss commander. Grant's pose with tilted back hat-ruffled brow-wearing a frown-fists clenched depicts a reluctant subject with no time for this darn cameraman and his new fangled picture contraption. This general needed to get back to his war fast and the picture perfectly portrays that.
Brady took the image of Grant at his forward command center in City Point Va but there is some debate on the exact date. However, the location can determine that it must have been sometime between the battle of Cold Harbor and the commencement of the siege of Petersburg plus it appeared as a lithograph on the front cover of Harper' Weekly dated July 16th 1864
Whilst sorting through my old ACW stash I happened on this Britain's figure of Grant looking like a Barney Rubble wearing fancy dress and a full set (Some of these early figures from William Britain was not exactly their finest hour). But I was struck in how close the pose resembled the Brady portrait of Grant. There being no other single standing metal figures of Grant except this one and another early version from Britain's (Now theres a big hint Ken Osen) so it crossed my mind how about a small conversion to see if one could imitate in toy soldier form the Brady picture but in color rather than monochrome.
But taking detailed measurements as a comparator of the figure against the picture of Grant proved the Britain's figure was too squat not much you can do about that plus his hat was not tilted back enough which would involve major surgery without achieving very much-so I shelved the project.
I returned to it recently whilst awaiting a new batch of ACW figures to arrive to carry on my dio thread.
Removing the right arm-remolding a new one-filled the torso gap-removed part of the base to get it closer to the tree-ground down the beard and cartoon face-aged the face with detailed dry painting.
Dressed the scene next using a Britain's ACW tent and some spare canvas. Grant's folding campaign seat was scratch built using 3 or 4 of Britain's white plastic garden chairs. Appropriate ground scatter and tree trunk.
There is a great story to tell in how Grant was persuaded to pose for this photo shoot but for that I would need other manufacturers figures rather than Britain's-such as Brady and Grant's aides/officers and I might have a go at that downstream on the Civil War Diaries thread.
Reb.
Brady took the image of Grant at his forward command center in City Point Va but there is some debate on the exact date. However, the location can determine that it must have been sometime between the battle of Cold Harbor and the commencement of the siege of Petersburg plus it appeared as a lithograph on the front cover of Harper' Weekly dated July 16th 1864
Whilst sorting through my old ACW stash I happened on this Britain's figure of Grant looking like a Barney Rubble wearing fancy dress and a full set (Some of these early figures from William Britain was not exactly their finest hour). But I was struck in how close the pose resembled the Brady portrait of Grant. There being no other single standing metal figures of Grant except this one and another early version from Britain's (Now theres a big hint Ken Osen) so it crossed my mind how about a small conversion to see if one could imitate in toy soldier form the Brady picture but in color rather than monochrome.
But taking detailed measurements as a comparator of the figure against the picture of Grant proved the Britain's figure was too squat not much you can do about that plus his hat was not tilted back enough which would involve major surgery without achieving very much-so I shelved the project.
I returned to it recently whilst awaiting a new batch of ACW figures to arrive to carry on my dio thread.
Removing the right arm-remolding a new one-filled the torso gap-removed part of the base to get it closer to the tree-ground down the beard and cartoon face-aged the face with detailed dry painting.
Dressed the scene next using a Britain's ACW tent and some spare canvas. Grant's folding campaign seat was scratch built using 3 or 4 of Britain's white plastic garden chairs. Appropriate ground scatter and tree trunk.
There is a great story to tell in how Grant was persuaded to pose for this photo shoot but for that I would need other manufacturers figures rather than Britain's-such as Brady and Grant's aides/officers and I might have a go at that downstream on the Civil War Diaries thread.
Reb.
