George S. Cook

George Smith Cook
Cook circa 1862 in center
Born	(1819-02-23)February 23, 1819 Stamford, Connecticut
Died	November 27, 1902(1902-11-27) (aged 83) Charleston, South Carolina

George Smith Cook (February 23, 1819 – November 27, 1902) was an early American photographer, known for taking the first photograph of combat during a war.

George Cook was the first known photographer to make a photograph of actual combat during a war. Cook took the first image of its kind while visiting Charleston, South Carolina where he witnessed Union ironclad battleships firing near Fort Sumter on Fort Moultrie on September 8, 1863

Biography

He was born on February 23, 1819 in Stamford, Connecticut and was orphaned at an early age. Unsuccessfully, he worked in the mercantile business. He later moved to New Orleans and was studying art when daguerrotype photography was introduced in the United States in 1839. He ran a gallery in New Orleans, then for ten years traveled throughout the South. He would establish a studio in a town, train photographers, then sell the studio to them and move on. He finally settled permanently in Charleston, South Carolina and recorded the effect of the American Civil War on the city. He captured the first combat photograph ever taken during a visit to Fort Sumter of Union ironclads firing on Fort Moultrie. He moved to Richmond, Virginia and amassed the most complete collection of photographs of that city. He died on November 27, 1902.

See also

• John Henry Devereux