''50-50 Tour'' see confederate military images at Museum

On Tuesday, December 16 at 5:30 p.m. the Anderson County Museum presents the ''50-50 Tour'' by photography specialist John Bigham. The program will be a "50-50 Tour" presenting 50 military images in 50 minutes copied in color from original photographs. The images have been shared by South Carolina families and are mainly enlisted or lower ranking officers.

By the 1860's photography was becoming an established medium and a striking way to document people and events. The ''50-50 Tour'' is a special presentation by John Bigham, a Columbia native, a graduate from Erskine College and recently retired Curator of Special Collections from the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum. His abiding attraction is ambrotype photography of the mid 19th Century. During his 25 year career at the Relic Room, Bigham crossed the state many times and ultimately collected 409 uniformed South Carolina Confederate images. He estimates that less than 2,000 of South Carolina's 71,000 soldiers had their picture taken in uniform.

Bigham's interest in 19th Century photography, with an attraction to early 20th Century colored postcards, inspired him to learn how to hand-tint photographic images. Several of his current works are on sale at the museum shop. He will also have several pieces for sale at the event.