The exhibition is drawn from the Becker Archive's collection of over 650 works, these first-hand sketches of the era's leading artist-reporters were originally commissioned for Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. The subjects include depictions of Civil War battles and daily camp life. The "first-hand" drawings selected for this exhibition, most of which have never been published, document in lively and specific ways key developments in the history of America as it struggled to establish its national identity.

The exhibition is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi, Regions Bank, Sanderson Farms and The Jean Chisholm Lindsey Exhibition Endowment Fund.