By Matthew Deihl, Kelsey Wise and Christopher Wills
Last year our "Picturing Lincoln" collection made its online debut, giving people around the world access to more than 1,000 high-resolution images related to Abraham Lincoln. Some were familiar poses of Lincoln himself. Others were rarely seen photos of his son Robert and Robert's children and grandchildren. Lincoln's assassination and the construction of his tomb were also common subjects.
But those photos were just part of the ALPLM's total collection of Lincoln images. We have added nearly 500 of the remaining images to the online collection. Eventually, 6,000 images will be available for use by everyone from veteran historians to kids working on book reports.
Highlights of the newly posted Lincoln photos include:
- Photos of assassin John Wilkes Booth and illustrations portraying him with the devil or showing him as a ghostly fugitive
- Images of the many places Lincoln lived, from log cabins to the White House
- Scenes related to Lincoln’s death, including photos of mourning crowds and illustrations of him in heaven with George Washington
Here are a few of our favorites.
Family
Mary Lincoln loved flowers (which is one reason we've created the Mary Lincoln's Garden section of Union Square Park at the ALPLM's campus) and often chose dresses with floral designs. The publisher of this image ran with the flower theme by taking a black-and-white photo and producing a tinted version. The publisher, by the way, was E. Anthony, presumably Edward Anthony, who ran the photography business E. & H. T. Anthony & Co. with his brother.
This photo of Thomas "Tad" Lincoln was taken in 1866 but was unknown until 1960, when a photography historian found it in the collection of the Illinois State Historic Library, forerunner of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. It was among a large number of photos the library had recently acquired from the descendants of David Davis, the former U.S. Supreme Court justice who was an early political supporter of Abraham Lincoln.
What a lovely illustration of the Lincolns near the end of the Civil War! Even Willie, who died in 1862, is represented by a painting on the wall. But the family never got together and posed like this. Instead, the illustrator drew from several photos and drawings to create this fictional scene. The most famous of the source photos was a picture of Abraham and Tad Lincoln leafing through a book. It was taken Feb. 9, 1864, just three days before Abraham Lincoln turned 55. This carte de visite was given to the ALPLM in 2013 by Wantagh Rare Books.
What is a "carte de visite"? The phrase means "visiting card" and they were basically a combination of business card and baseball card that people used during Lincoln's era. Friends and relatives would exchange cards with one another, but people could also collect CDVs of famous people and scenes.
War's End
Two illustrations offer fascinating but very different perspectives on the end of the Civil War. The first depicts the amazing moment when the sitting president, accompanied by his son, visited the city of Richmond, Va., which had served as capital of the Confederacy. They were guarded by a dozen armed sailors. The city's African American residents, now freed from slavery, gave the Lincolns a rapturous welcome. Interestingly, the formal title of this illustration is "Abraham Lincoln Entering Richmond, April 3, 1865," which is the wrong date. Lincoln's visit was actually on April 4.
The second illustration is a political cartoon lampooning Confederate President Jefferson Davis. It portrays Davis in women's clothing and shouting "Let me alone!" as he tries to evade capture on May 10, 1865. After Davis was captured, rumors flew that he was caught in full dress and petticoats trying to pass as a woman. The situation resembled rumors that Lincoln snuck into Washington for his inauguration by wearing a dress or kilt. The rumors were false in both cases.
Assassination
John Wilkes Booth was a prominent actor who posed for many pictures. After he killed President Lincoln, artists quickly used early photo-editing techniques, such as double exposure, to transform those pictures into condemnations of Booth. This one, based on a photo from 1863, shows a demon – or maybe the devil himself – whispering in Booth's ear.
This illustration cleverly portrays Booth as empty space. An outline created by snakes, alligators, bears and a grasping claw create an image of Booth fleeing on horseback. Lincoln's face can be seen in the clouds above.
Lincoln at Rest
The death of the president inspired many artists, and some chose to represent him joining George Washington in heaven. A common image shows the two men embracing. This one is less well known. It shows angels joining Washington in welcoming Lincoln and placing laurels on his head.
Another drawing, captioned with "The Reward of the Just," is based on a painting of Washington called "The Apotheosis of Washington."
Another way to remember Lincoln was to construct an impressive, even awe-inspiring, tomb for him in Springfield, Ill. The tomb was originally considered America's monument to Lincoln. Its construction was organized by the National Lincoln Monument Association, and it was often called the National Lincoln Monument. Today, most people would consider the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, to be the nation's primary monument to Lincoln.
At the insistence of Mary Lincoln, the tomb was built in Oak Ridge Cemetery on the outskirts of Springfield instead of in the heart of the city. This image captures the tomb framed by the cemetery's entry arch after an ice storm in 1883. The double photo was a "stereoview," which produced a 3-D effect when placed in a special viewer.
Lincoln's Legacy
People around the world, and even entire nations, have honored Abraham Lincoln for his leadership. This stereoview shows a piece of Rome's Servian Wall that was given to America in Lincoln's memory. The wall protected Rome for 700 years and became a symbol of Roman republicanism, freedom, and independence. Read more about the gift here.
In 1902, Prince Heinrich of Prussia toured the United States and visited a Lincoln statue in Chicago. Germany's vice-consul in Chicago presented flowers during the visit. The prince's stop to honor Lincoln might have something to do with the fact that the U.S. secretary of state at the time was John Hay, a former aide to Lincoln.
Deihl and Wise are audiovisual librarians at the ALPLM. Wills is the communications director.