An Educational Resource from the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian

Institution

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 Institution Smithsonian the from Resource Educational An

Smithsonian

Institution

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An Educational Resource from the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian

Institution

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THE MASK OF LINCOLN

The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

portrait 1 Smithsonian Institution Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

An educational portfolio marking the

200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth

Developed by the National Portrait Gallery and

the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

This portfolio was made possible by a grant from

the Smithsonian Women’s Committee





Smithsonian

Institution

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his portfolio, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Abraham

Lincoln’s birth, presents portraits of Lincoln’s rise to national prominence and presidential years from the National Portrait Gallery

exhibition The Mask of Lincoln. These images show the changing face

that Lincoln presented to the world as he began his presidency and

led the fi ght for the Union during the Civil War. Shaping himself to the

uncertainties of the present and mindful of his role as the heir to the

Founding Fathers, it was Lincoln’s uncommon ability that led the nation

where it never intended to go: from a political crisis over states’ rights

to the revolutionary act of abolishing slavery.

While Lincoln’s politics played out on a national stage, the advent of

photography placed his persona before the public as well. Lincoln left the

portrait 1, c. 1857 portrait 2, 1860 portrait 3, 1860 portrait 4, 1861 portrait 5, 1863 portrait 6, 1863 portrait 7, 1864 portrait 8, 1864 portrait 9, 1865 portrait 10, 1865

following description of himself: “If any personal description of me is

thought desirable, it may be said I am, in height, six feet four inches, nearly;

lean in fl esh, weighing on average one hundred and eighty pounds; dark

complexion, with coarse black hair and gray eyes. No other marks or

brands recollected.” Despite his unprepossessing appearance, Lincoln

nonetheless had an elusive quality that caused Americans to look beyond

fi rst impressions to the essence of the man himself. The Civil War-era

wit and social commentator “Petroleum V. Nasby” (David Ross Locke)

met Lincoln and was bowled over, saying “I never saw a more thoughtful

face. I never saw a more dignifi ed face. I never saw so sad a face.” The

portraits of Lincoln included in this portfolio illustrate the role Lincoln’s

changing image played during his leadership of a rapidly changing nation.

Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait



 Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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alexander hesler’s 1857 “tousled hair” portrait was produced

and printed in tiny copies so that it could be cut out, placed in a frame,

and worn as a pin or locket during the 1860 campaign. Such partisan

political symbols had long been a staple of American elections, but

the heated political climate of 1860—and the need for the Lincoln

organization to mobilize all its supporters—led to a plethora of

new and creative ways to energize a public immersed in the political

culture of the time. Political participation and partisanship was a

major source, probably second only to religion, of most Americans’

identities in the mid-nineteenth century. Wearing Lincoln’s likeness

was a particularly personal way for good Republicans to fl aunt their

allegiance to both man and party as they joined in the public rituals

of American politicking.

Unidentifi ed artist, after Alexander Hesler, Albumen silver print, c. 1857 (printed c. 1860), National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2.7 x 2 cm, (11/16" x 13/16 ")

“Stand by your principles, stand by your guns.”

abraham lincoln, Chicago speech, 1859

Actual size

Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

portrait 1 Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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portrait 1 The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Smithsonian Institution Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

on february 27, 1860, lincoln held an overflow crowd at new

York’s Cooper Union spellbound as he delivered a careful, comprehesive,

and eloquent explanation of the Republican Party’s opposition to slavery,

ending with a near-biblical plea of moral conviction. As important as

what he said was the way that he said it: his delivery convinced his audience that he was not a country bumpkin but a serious constitutional

thinker and an eloquent representative for the party. Before the speech,

Lincoln had his portrait taken by Mathew Brady, and this picture

became known as the “photograph that made Lincoln president.”

Mathew Brady (1823?–1896), Salted paper print, February 27, 1860, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image/Sheet: 8.6 x 5.4 cm (3 3⁄8" x 2 1⁄8")

“Let us have faith that right makes might . . .”

 abraham lincoln, New York City speech, 1860

portrait 2

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THE MASK OF LINCOLN

portrait 1

lincoln was continually underestimated by his opponents,

and even his friends. Because he had not served long in national politics—

only one term in the House of Representatives—he was seen as a nonentity;

the smart money certainly did not consider him of presidential timber.

Quietly ambitious, Lincoln launched himself as a major fi gure in the

Republican Party, promoting Northern unionism in his senatorial

campaign against Democrat Stephen Douglas in 1858. Moreover, Lincoln

created a focused campaign organization that won him the Republican

presidential nomination. By 1860, with the national political parties

splintered, Lincoln ran against three opponents, the most prominent of

whom was Douglas. After a hard campaign, in which the South ratcheted

up the secession rhetoric, Lincoln won with a plurality of the popular

vote and an overwhelming Electoral College advantage. With “Black

Republicanism” triumphant, South Carolina seceded from the Union

on December 20.

George B. Ayres (born 1867-?), after Alexander Hesler, Platinum print, 1860 (printed c. 1881), National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 33.7 x 25.4 cm

(131⁄4" x 10")

“His ambition was a little engine that

knew no rest.”

william herndon, contemporary Lincoln biographer, 1889

portrait 3 Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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lincoln was the first president to serve after photography

truly came of age. He embraced the new technology, sitting frequently,

and he was interested in both technological issues and composition.

Perhaps because of his early struggle to make himself into somebody

of substance—to make himself visible—Lincoln was acutely aware

of the power of image-making. Although Lincoln knew, and joked

about, the fact that he was a diffi cult subject, he was not camera shy,

producing a continuous portrait record of his time in offi ce. Attuned to

public opinion, Lincoln used portraits to keep himself in the eye of his

fellow citizens. When he arrived in Washington, Lincoln quickly arranged

to have himself photographed at Alexander Gardner’s studio. These

photographs were the fi rst widely disseminated pictures of the

president with his newly grown beard.

Alexander Gardner (1821‒1882), Publisher: Edward & Henry T. Anthony & Company (active 1860‒1901), Albumen silver print, 1861, National Portrait Gallery,

Smithsonian Institution, Image/Sheet: 8.6 x 5.4 cm (33⁄8" x 21⁄8")

“Public sentiment is everything.”

 abraham lincoln, Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1858

portrait 4 Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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mathew brady’s cameraman, thomas le mere, thought that a

standing pose of the president would be popular. Lincoln wondered if

it could be accomplished in one shot, and this is the successful result.

It was taken on April 17, 1863, a pause after an eventful winter that saw

the implementation of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1

and a further reshuffl ing of the command of the Army of the Potomac

following the disastrous Union defeat at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on

December 13. Joseph Hooker replaced the hapless Ambrose Burnside,

refi tted the army, and prepared to move south. Striking Robert E. Lee at

Chancellorsville on May 1, Hooker obtained a strong initial advantage

but was undone by Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson’s audacious fl ank attack

on the Union right, just as the sun set on the battle’s fi rst day. Demoralized,

Hooker withdrew, allowing Lee to invade the North for the second time.

Hearing the news, Lincoln cried, “My God! What will the country say?

What will the country say?”

Thomas Le Mere (life dates unknown) at the Mathew Brady Studio, Albumen silver print, 1863, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image/Sheet:

8.6 x 5.4 cm (33⁄8" x 21⁄8")

“All quiet along the Potomac.”

ethel lynn beers, American poet, 1861

Smithsonian Institution

The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

portrait Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee. 5

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on november 8, 1863, lincoln had this portrait taken by alexander

Gardner. While waiting, he read a newspaper account of the speech

that famed orator Edward Everett would make at the dedication of

the cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln would also speak but had yet to

compose his remarks, promising only that they would be “short, short,

short.” On November19, after Everett’s three-hour oration, Lincoln rose

and delivered a speech of only 271 words. His Gettysburg Address powerfully recast the Civil War as being about the simple preservation of

the Union to the certifi cation, consecrated in blood, of a “new birth of

freedom” to redeem the purity of the Republic’s founding. In Lincoln’s

famous biblical phrasing, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers

brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty,

and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Alexander Gardner (1821–1882), Albumen silver print, November 8, 1863, Collection of Keya Morgan, LincolnImages.com, Sheet: 16.5 x 10.8cm (18" x 14")

“Government of the people, by the people,

for the people.”

abraham lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863

portrait 6

The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Smithsonian Institution Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

LincolnPostersActualColors_cc.in8 8 4/28/09 9
bostonian charles francis adams characterized lincoln in

the quotation above in 1861. With an appearance that was vilifi ed and

mocked more than any other president in history, Lincoln used selfdeprecatory humor to his own advantage. In one of their debates,

Stephen Douglas charged that Lincoln was two-faced. Lincoln’s response

brought the house down: “If I had another face do you think I’d wear this

one?” While ungainly, Lincoln was physically strong, easily winning such

frontier tests of strength as wrestling or holding a large axe parallel to the

ground. His campaign managers came up with the inspired idea of calling

him the rail-splitter, emphasizing his humble origins as a working man.

Mathew Brady Studio (active 1844‒1894), Albumen silver print, 1864, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image/Sheet: 8.4 x 5.6 cm (35⁄16" x 23⁄16")

“A tall, ill-favored man, with little grace.”

charles francis adams, contemporary politician, 1861

portrait 7 Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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THE MASK OF LINCOLN

despite his reputation as an expert speaker in everything

from joke-telling to formal oratory, Lincoln was careful about what

he said and was, in fact, very reluctant to speak in public, especially

extemporaneously. He frequently disappointed crowds at serenades

and other informal events by not doing much more than greeting

them. He did not want to speak off the cuff and risk being misunderstood.

Lincoln was aware of the power of words, so he husbanded them for

maximum impact, and subjected his major speeches and state papers

to many revisions. Lincoln also had a larger sense that it was not

fi tting for the president to speak too much, especially on informal

matters. To keep himself—literally—in the public eye, Lincoln relied

on photographs of himself, not words.

Anthony Berger (life dates unknown), Albumen silver print,1864, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image:32.4 x 24.1 cm (123⁄4" x 91⁄2")

“The most satisfactory likeness.”

robert t. lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s son

Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

portrait 8 Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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THE MASK OF LINCOLN

henry f. warren got this shot of the president by taking some

candid pictures of Tad Lincoln riding his pony. When Warren delivered

the prints to the White House on March 6, 1865, he asked Tad to go get

his father so he could take the president’s picture. Lincoln obliged,

bringing a chair out onto the south balcony for the sitting, but was

not pleased with how the photographer had ambushed him. Lincoln

looks very severe in what was to be the last photograph taken of him.

Henry F. Warren (life dates unknown), Albumen silver print, 1865, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image: 33.8 x 25.8 cm (13 5⁄16" x 10 3⁄16")

“Now bring out your father and I will

make a picture of him . . .”

henry f. warren, Lincoln photographer, 1865

portrait 9 Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling

Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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one of the most haunting images in american history

and art, this portrait was taken in February 1865. The picture

of Lincoln—hollowed, careworn, and yet with a slight smile

still after four years of war—is given added poignancy by the

crack that appeared in the negative after it was developed.

Inadvertent, the crack nonetheless seems to symbolize the

division of the Union that Lincoln dedicated himself to

prevent. Looking forward, the line of fracture seems almost

to presage the path of the bullet that John Wilkes Booth

would fi re on April 14. With Lincoln’s death, cracks would

again appear in the Union, as the government struggled to

determine how America would be reconstructed. After the

assassination, this image became an icon in the deifi cation

of the martyred president.

Alexander Gardner (1821-1882), Albumen silver print,1865, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Image: 45 x 38.6 cm (17 11⁄16" x 15 3⁄16")

“Now he belongs to the ages.”

 edwin stanton, Lincoln’s Secretary of War, 1865

Smithsonian Institution The Mask of Lincoln portfolio was developed by the National Portrait Gallery and the

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. This portfolio was made possible by a

grant from the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

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