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Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln
Artist
Mathew B. Brady, 1823? - 15 Jan 1896
Sitter
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865
Date
1860
Type
Photograph
Medium
Salted paper print
Dimensions
Image: 19.5 × 14.5cm (7 11/16 × 5 11/16")
Mount: 34.2 × 26.8cm (13 7/16 × 10 9/16")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6cm (18 × 14")
Topic
Interior
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\New York\Kings\New York
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Alan and Lois Fern Acquisition Fund
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.2011.15
Exhibition Label
This photograph played a significant role in shaping the public image of Republican hopeful
Abraham Lincoln during the 1860 presidential campaign. Taken at Brady’s New York gallery on February 27, the carefully crafted portrait revealed a candidate whose dignified bearing stood in sharp contrast to the unflattering characterizations circulated by his detractors.
Brady photographed Lincoln using a large-format glass-plate negative, from which a salted-paper print was made. That print was retouched by one of Brady’s artists to produce a more pleasing image and then rephotographed. The resulting copy negative yielded prints such as this one, which reflected the retoucher’s enhancements.
Esta fotografía tuvo un papel significativo en la creación de la imagen pública del candidato republicano Abraham Lincoln durante la campaña presidencial de 1860. Fue tomada en la galería de Brady en New York el 27 de febrero, y es una obra cuidadosamente elaborada que nos revela a un personaje cuyo porte distinguido y solemne contrasta drásticamente con las imágenes poco favorecedoras que difundían sus detractores.
Para fotografiar a Lincoln, Brady utilizó un negativo de vidrio en gran formato, del cual se hizo una impresión en papel a la sal. Uno de los artistas empleados por Brady retocó la impresión para producir una imagen más agradable que luego se volvió a fotografiar. Con el negativo resultante de esa segunda foto se hicieron copias que plasmaban las mejoras del retocador, como la que vemos aquí.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view