The Battle of Gettysburg- everyone remembers listening as their high school history teacher droned on and on about it. Yet, none of us were actually there, none of us can sympathize. Perhaps Timothy H. O’Sullivan may cause us to, with his photograph (pictured).

You can see the blood on the faces of the dead soldiers. In the background, you can see one of the victorious cavalry soldiers looming in the hot July heat. They’re standing guard, proudly atop their horse. Yet they are a mere shadow in this iconic photo. Viewing all this… you can imagine the blazing summer sun coursing through the veins of every soldier, dead or alive.

Now imagine living in the 19^th century. This photo was your only chance to glimpse a war that raged on for merely three days. Many people were not able to view this picture for another 40 years until after it was taken by O’Sullivan. This marked the beginning of photo engraving and allowed this historical (a part of the American Civil War), very iconic photo to be mass produced.

This is merely one of 12 photos included in Swick’s list of 12 Of The Most Iconic Photographs Ever Taken. This is a widely varied collection. My description of my favorite photo of the dozen is merely the tip of the iceberg. View the complete article here. While these images are incredible, they are not for the faint of heart. If you are easily upset or become anxious while viewing disturbing imagery, I would suggest you do not click that link.