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Abraham Lincoln

Artist: Alexander Gardner, 17 Oct 1821 - 10 Dec 1882
Studio: Mathew Brady Studio, active 1844 - 1894
Publisher: E. & H. T. Anthony & Company, active 1852 - 1901
Sitter: Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865

Date: February 24, 1861

Type: Photograph

Medium: Albumen silver print
Dimensions: Image/Sheet: 8.6 × 5.4 cm (3 3/8 × 2 1/8"); Mount: 10.5 × 6.2 cm (4 1/8 × 2 7/16"); Mat: 35.6 × 27.9 cm (14 × 11")

Topic: Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair; Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table; Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie; Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard; Equipment\Drafting & Writing Implements\Writing implement\Pen\Quill; Equipment\Drafting & Writing Implements\Inkstand; Photographic format\Carte-de-visite; Interior\Studio\Photography; Architecture\Pedestal; Abraham Lincoln: Male; Abraham Lincoln: Law and Crime\Lawyer; Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\Soldier; Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\President of US; Abraham Lincoln: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist; Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant; Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Illinois; Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Surveyor; Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\State Senator\Illinois; Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster; Abraham Lincoln: Crafts and Trades\Boat builder; Portrait

Place: United States\District of Columbia\Washington

Credit Line: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

Restrictions & Rights: CC0

Object number: NPG.79.150

Exhibition Label: This portrait of Abraham Lincoln was taken on February 24, 1861, just before his inauguration on March 4. It has been conjectured that Lincoln is hiding his right hand in his lap because it was swollen from shaking so many hands during his travel from Illinois to Washington. This is also the first studio image depicting Lincoln with a full beard, which he had famously grown between the election and inauguration, purportedly at the behest of a little girl who wrote him from New York that it would improve his appearance. Lincoln was early to recognize the power of the relatively new medium of photography to mold and shape a public persona. He credited a photograph by Mathew Brady, taken when he came to New York City to present himself to Republican Party power brokers, as helping to confirm his suitability for the presidency by showing him well-dressed and dignified. Interestingly, the Brady photograph shows Lincoln standing; in this portrait he is seated, as if ready to begin work as president.

Data Source: National Portrait Gallery