War has always been an unfortunate part of our society and civilization. War unfortunately and without a doubt will accompany us as long as we exist. However, the depiction of war for many centuries has given a sense of patriotism and romanticism. Then the invention of the camera changed the way humanity perceived war in the late to mid-19th century. And suddenly, the images of war became one of pure violence and destruction. The violence in these images would play a significant role in our nation's social and political views of war. During the pre-Civil War era, photography technology was rare or still in development. All representations of war were in paintings or literature. Since artists at the time were the only ones capable of creating images of war, they often put their imaginations into play or added additional details to their paintings. Adding their personal touch to these works of art, they often depicted courage, patriotism and heroism. “Paintings, lithographs, woodcuts, and statues displayed a glorious saga of stirring American heroism from the Revolution to the Mexican War” (Franklin 811). The 1851 painting of Washington crossing the Delaware gave the sense of nationalism and pride. Then came photography. Many newly discovered photographers sought a profit and followed the Union armies into battle (Franklin 811). Because cameras of the time took a long time to take a photo, photographers couldn't take action or battle photos without them coming out too blurry. Then they photographed the dead. It was these gruesome images that were the first to be shown to the public. The absolute worst photos were those taken at Gettysburg and Antietam. The bodies in some of these photos had already been decoded for two days... in the middle of the paper... to censor the harsh reality of wars. Our government and our military have done a great job bringing the so-called “romance” back to war. In the future, there may be more ways in which war can seem more romantic. As our technology grows, so does our ability to destroy ourselves and censor the reality of war. Our ability to manipulate the media will grow and we will be able to influence more and more people. War images will continue to change the social and political landscape. It has already been demonstrated throughout the 20th century and will undoubtedly continue into the 21st. Photography has changed the way war is depicted. War images will never return to the genuine romance they once represented. Works Cited1. Franklin, Bruce. “Realism to Virtual Reality: Images of America’s Wars” “The Norton Reader” New York: WW Norton & Company, Inc.2008. 810-825. Press.