Original 7.5 x 9.25 albumen portrait of Lincoln in near profile, printed from the original negative of Alexander Hesler by George Ayres, circa 1892–1895, and affixed to its 8 x 10 mount. Image bears two of Ayres’ 1881 copyright stamps in the top left and lower right corners. Ayres has also written on the reverse of the mount, “Copyright Geo. B. Ayres Phila. For Sale by Subscription (Limited) only by Geo W Holmes Jr 802 Windsor Sqr Philadelphia Pa.” Scattered light surface abrasions and marks from previous housing in an oval mat, slight surface loss to lower edge, scattered silvering to edges, and toning to reverse, otherwise very good condition.
Chicago photographer Alexander Hesler traveled to Springfield for his sitting with Lincoln in early June of 1860, just weeks after the latter secured the Republican presidential nomination. The four images he captured of the soon-to-be president—and this one in particular—were instant favorites, becoming the chosen shots for campaign items sold by the Republican Party, as well as the basis for the numerous posters created over the next few years. Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, once commented on the present image, ‘There is the peculiar curve of the lower lip, the lone mole on the right cheek, and a pose of the head so essentially Lincolnian; no other artist has ever caught it.’ Following the close of the Civil War, George Ayres acquired two of Hesler's original negatives and made a living selling prints of them from the 1880s through the turn of the century. A magnificent portrait of the Great Emancipator, considered one of the finest ever taken—by both the general public and the president himself. RR Auction COA.
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