Timothy osullivan photographer biography template

American photographer (1840–1882)

For other people named Timothy O'Sullivan, see Timothy O'Sullivan (disambiguation).

Timothy H. O'Sullivan (c. 1840 – January 14, 1882) was an American photographer widely known for his work related to the American Civil War and the Western United States.

Biography

O'Sullivan's history and personal life remains unclear as there is little information to work from. For example, he was either born in Ireland and came to New York City two years later with his parents or his parents traveled to New York before he was born.

There is no way of finding out which of the two stories is true. We do know that as a teenager, he was employed by Mathew Brady, a photographer who also became known for his Civil War photographs.

O'Sullivan claimed that when the Civil War began in early 1861, he was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Union Army (though Joel Snyder, O'Sullivan's biographer, could find no definitive proof o