This section of the exhibit takes a look at the history of photography using some of the best and most well-known images of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln’s was the first photograph of a president seen by most Americans. Before the mid-19th century, images of our presidents were created in portraits, etchings, and political cartoons; these formats continued to be popular in Lincoln’s time. But recent technological breakthroughs in photography also made it possible to create a “real” image on glass or paper and copy it in large numbers. Although other presidents had been photographed, most of those images were made on daguerreotypes that were not reproducible.

The common appearance of Lincoln’s homely face with his moles, wrinkles, and unmanageable hair, and new technology that could easily copy his photographs for distribution made his image a popular one with Americans. The devastating national events of the Civil War during Lincoln’s presidency were also photographed. And, in the end, Lincoln’s assassination imprinted his image on the national memory.

Viewers are invited to consider how photography influenced Lincoln’s political career and to think about how photography captured the physical toll the war took on Lincoln.

Requires at least 12 feet by 12 feet of floor space.

Lincoln after Nomination, 1860