Latin American Literature in Transition 1800-1870: Volume 2

"The rendering and memory of the Paraguayan War was from its very beginning a conflictive endeavor. What historians have called the "first modern war" in the region was an overwhelming experience that defied its protagonists' ability to reconcile its violence with the ideals of an incipient national identity. It was also one of the first photographed conflicts worldwide, which, on the one hand, provided new access to the war experience to an extended audience, and, on the other, zeroed in on the voids and silences of the representations of the war. In this essay, I first study the unease in depicting and remembering the conflict, focusing on press coverage and Josâe Ignacio Garmendia's memories. I then pause at some of the photographs taken by the studio Bate & Ca. and reflect on their power to disturb, move, and evoke the violence of war. I argue that these are images that demand an active gaze, calling on the viewer to complete that which is not being shown"--