Historynet/feed historynet feedback facebook link Weider History Group RSS feed Weider Subscriptions Historynet Home page

Lincoln or Bust

By Harold Holzer 
Published Online: August 18, 2009 
Print Friendly
0 comments FONT +  FONT -

Abraham Lincoln posed for several famous photographs at Alexander Gardner's Washington, D.C., gallery on November 8, 1863: one with his private secretaries John Nicolay and John Hay, and another full-face close-up that showed the steely-eyed president staring directly into the camera. The pictures were taken just 11 days before Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, adding special interest to these poses.
But one question remained: Why did the president also pose for an unusual face-to-waist profile that actually showed him looking away from Gardner's probing camera? The answer can be found in Hay's White House diary.

"Went with Mrs Ames to Gardner's gallery & were soon joined by Nico & the Prest.," reads Hay's entry for November 8. "We had a great many pictures taken."

Subscribe Today

Subscribe to Civil War Times magazine

Therein lies the explanation. The extra guest at the studio that day was sculptor Sarah Fisher Ames, recently commissioned by Congress to craft a bust of Lincoln. Clearly Ames required a model of her subject's brawny shoulders and arms. View her marble creation outside the U.S. Senate gallery today: Its debt to this odd pose is obvious. Sometimes artists made pictures for other artists, not for the public.



Leave a Reply

Related Articles


History Net Images Spacer
History net Spacer
History net Spacer
History Net Daily Activities
History net Spacer
History net Spacer
Historynet Spacer
HISTORYNET READERS' POLL

Which of these nonfiction books had the most significant effect on American society?

View Results | See previous polls

Loading ... Loading ...
History net Spacer History net Spacer
STAY CONNECTED WITH US
RSS Feed Daily Email Update
History net Spacer

What is HistoryNet?

The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines.

If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest.

From Our Magazines
Weider History Group

Weider History Network:  HistoryNet | Armchair General | Achtung Panzer!
Today in History | Picture of the Day | Daily History Quiz | History Forums

Copyright © 2012 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Advertise With Us | Subscription Help | Privacy Policy