Alexander gardner photographer biography

Alexander Gardner was a Scottish photographer who immigrated to the United States in 1856, where he began to work full-time in that profession.

He is best known for his photographs of the Civil War, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, and the conspirators and execution of the participants in the Lincoln assassination plot.

Alexander Gardner was born in Paisley, Scotland, to James and Jane Glen Gardner on October 17, 1821.

He and his family later moved to Glasco.

Alexander gardner photographer biography

Raised in poverty, he became an apprentice jeweler at 14 and worked for seven years. He also took evening classes at the Glasgow Athenaeum to further his education, studying astronomy, optics, physics, and chemistry. At 21, he joined the Glasgow Sentinel as a reporter.

Raised in the Church of Scotland, he was influenced by the work of Robert Owen, a Welsh socialist and father of the cooperative movement.

In 1850, he and his brother James traveled to the United States to establish a coopera