Sought-after photograph of Lincoln in near-profile, 7.5 x 9.75, printed in the late 19th century by George B. Ayres from the original negative taken by Alexander Hesler in Springfield, Illinois, in 1860. Affixed to its original 8 x 10 mount, annotated on the reverse in ink by Ayres, “Copyright, Geo. B. Ayres, Phila.” In very good condition, with irregular blocks of toning to image, mounting remnants to perimeter, and staining to reverse.
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. 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.
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