The 16th president lived in an era that witnessed great technical innovation and the commercial expansion of photography
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Scholars estimate that Lincoln sat for 33 photographers and 127 portraits in his lifetime, 37 of them, like the one above, by Alexander Gardner.AP
Profile
A ruffled Lincoln (he seems in need of a shave and a trim) poses in February, 1864.Corbis
Syndicated
This 1861 set-up is attributed to Matthew Brady's Studio. It is not clear if Brady himself took the photo, however, because by that time, Brady's business had grown so substantially that he relied on assistants to actually do the work, which he would then put his name on.Corbis
Hint of a Smile
This frame was made in February 1865, as the Civil War was winding down and Lincoln was preparing his second inaugural address. It is one of the last made in his lifetime.Corbis
Young Mr. Lincoln
Believed to the oldest known image of Lincoln, this daguerreotype is attributed to Nicholas H. Shepherd, an early photographer in Springfield, Illinois. Known as Meserve #1, it was a gift from Robert Todd Lincoln, Lincoln's eldest son, to Frederick Hill Meserve, who gave it to the Library of Congress. Meserve reported that "Lincoln believed it was made in 1848".Getty
Sharp Dressed Man
This frame was made in Beardstown, Illinois, in 1858.Bettmann / Corbis
Good Side
Alexander Hesler took this portrait of Lincoln while he was campaigning for President. "That looks better and expresses me better than any I have ever seen," Lincoln said. "If it pleases the people I am satisfied."Corbis
The Candidate
Lincoln posed for another Springfield photographer, Preston Butler, on August 13, 1860.Corbis
The Beard
During the campaign, Lincoln famously received a letter from an eleven-year-old girl, Grace Bedell, who urged the candidate to grow some facial hair. "You would look a great deal better," she wrote, "for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husband's (sic) to vote for you and then you would be President."Bettmann / Corbis
Father and Son
Gardner shot Lincoln with his favorite son, "Tad" in 1865.Bettmann / Corbis
Commander in Chief
Lincoln stands flanked by his bodyguard Major Allan Pinkerton (left) and General John McClernand in Sharpsburg, Maryland, in October 1862, a few weeks after the Battle of Antietam. Lincoln visited the camp in an attempt to persuade General George B. McClellan to take his army on the attack.
Rock Solid
Gardner made this head-on portrait in November, 1863, two weeks before the Gettysburg Address.Corbis
