Irving Block Prison

 Known as the "Bastille" of Memphis, Irving Block was originally constructed as office buildings in 1860.  But, like so many structures, it was repurposed as a Confederate hospital after the war broke out.  And then in 1862, when Union forces began their occupation of Memphis, they turned it into a prison for soldiers and Confederate sympathizers.  During its time in Federal possession, the facility became intertwined with corruption and plagued with deplorable conditions.

Irving Block prison, 1864
www.historic-memphis.com

Video: Women Soldiers Brought to Life

 I've been working on this project for a while now and finally got to a point where I could wrap it up and share it.  I took some images of women soldiers, colorized and animated them using AI.  If you have worked with AI, you know it can be fickle.  I can't tell you how many times I had to redo something because it just didn't turn out the way I wanted despite composing very specific prompts.  And I will say that there are some details that still aren't what I wanted.  I'm sure down the road I will still tweak this video, or make a complete new one.  But, until then, here it is:  

 

 

Animated Frances Elizabeth Quinn

 I have enjoyed experimenting with AI and Civil War photos, including the few of women soldiers.  Here is a short one I recently made of Frances Elizabeth Quinn who served as "Frank Miller" in the 90th Illinois Infantry.  I untangled her garbled story and revealed the truth of her troubled past in my book.  Short video of an animated Frances Elizabeth Quinn, alias Frances Hook, who serves as "Frank Miller" in the 90th Illinois Infantry. The photos were taken while she was hospitalized in Nashville in 1864 from a nasty leg wound. Nurses encouraged her to have the images made and sell them in order to raise funds for herself. There are letters written by soldiers who mentioned buying one. And you can find images for auction periodically today. 

At some point, I hope someone will colorize these images.  This is beyond my extremely meager skills.  If that happens, I'll redo the animation and make a new video.