Tag: National Museum of Civil War Medicine

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Civil War Nurses Exhibit Opens at Carnegie Free Library

On February 14, 2026, the traveling exhibit Faces of Civil War Nurses opened to a warm welcome at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh.

Presented in partnership by Military Images and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the exhibit features 20 life-size portraits of women who served as nurses during the Civil War—bringing viewers face-to-face with the caregivers who tended the wounded and dying in hospitals, camps, and on the battlefield.

The Carnegie installation marks the second stop for the exhibition following its premiere at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office in Washington, D.C.

Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall .

A Record-Setting Opening

The Valentine’s Day opening program exceeded expectations in every way.

According to program coordinator Jon-Erik Gilot, the event set an attendance record for the library’s long-running Second Saturday Civil War Series, which began in 2014.

Coddington, left, with Jon-Erik Gilot.

The audience reflected the library’s broad educational mission. While many were Civil War enthusiasts, others came simply out of curiosity and a love of lifelong learning. Despite limited parking and a busy weekend, the room filled quickly, and late arrivals continued to stream in after the program began.

Bringing the Nurses to Life

The opening presentation explored the stories behind the images and the larger effort to identify, research, and interpret the visual record of Civil War nurses. The strong turnout—and the many thoughtful comments afterward—underscored the growing public interest in the human side of Civil War photography.

As Gilot noted, the program “set a high bar not just for attendance, but for content and quality,” and the enthusiastic response highlighted the power of portrait photography to connect modern audiences with the past.

Continuing the Journey

Faces of Civil War Nurses continues its run in Carnegie through May 9, offering visitors a rare opportunity to encounter these women at full scale and learn about their service and sacrifice.

The success of the opening affirms the exhibit’s mission: to honor the caregivers of the Civil War and to share their stories with communities across the country.

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Life-Sized Tribute: New Traveling Exhibit Brings Civil War Nurses Into Focus

We are thrilled to share that the opening of Faces of Civil War Nurses at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum on May 24 drew an enthusiastic and engaged crowd. This unique traveling exhibition, on view through September 1, 2025, shines a light on the remarkable women who stepped beyond the boundaries of traditional life to care for soldiers during the Civil War.

The exhibit is a collaboration between the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, which operates the Clara Barton Museum, and Military Images magazine. Military Images—the only publication solely dedicated to showcasing, interpreting, and preserving Civil War portrait photography—curated this collection of life-sized images and stories. The foundation for much of this work can be found in the book Faces of Civil War Nurses, authored by Military Images editor and publisher Ronald S. Coddington and published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

The exhibit brings together powerful photographic portraits and vivid biographies that highlight the courage, compassion, and moral strength of these caregivers. The original images, once cherished as keepsakes or carried in the pockets of soldiers, now offer us rare opportunities to connect with the enduring legacy of Civil War nurses.

Visitors to the opening explored the stories of women like Helen Gilson, who defied prejudice to care for U.S. Colored Troops at City Point, Va.; “Captain” Sally Tompkins, who ran one of the South’s most efficient hospitals; and Harriet Tubman, whose fearless work as a nurse, scout, and spy contributed immeasurably to the Union cause.

Through Faces of Civil War Nurses, both the exhibit and the book invite us to look beyond the well-known figures and discover the breadth of contributions made by women from all walks of life. These portraits and narratives remind us of the sacrifices and service that helped define a nation at war—and the caregiving spirit that endures to this day.

A special thanks to David Price, Executive Director at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine; Dana Shoaf, Director of Interpretation; Melissa Winn, Director of Marketing and Communications; and Carolyn Ivanoff, author for Gettysburg Publishing, who portrayed Clara Barton at the opening.

Want to bring this exhibit to your location? Contact Ron Coddington, Editor & Publisher of Military Images magazine.