What did Abraham Lincoln look like?

The book contains a sidebar on page 389 on a famous photograph of Abraham Lincoln that was taken by the noted photographer of the time Matthew Brady. The photo was taken on February 25, 1860 in New York City on the afternoon before Lincoln delivered a famous speech at the Cooper Union that evening. The photo was reproduced widely during Lincoln's campaign for the presidency that year and later became known as the Cooper Union portrait. Lincoln later said the photo and the speech he gave that night "made me president." The photo is certainly a striking one and presents Lincoln very favorably. Lincoln had the reputation of being a rough-hewn Westerner. This picture shows him as something else -- a handsome and rather elegant, serious man. He is youngish but not too young. He is smoothly dressed, but he's not a dandy. In the picture he looks serious and thoughtful, ready to take on the responsibilities of a nation torn apart by the issues of abolition and slavery. If this photograph is ...  more

Journalism: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How contains a sidebar on page 389 about a famous photograph of Abraham Lincoln that was taken by the noted photographer of the time Matthew Brady. The photo was taken on February 25, 1860 in New York City on the afternoon before Lincoln delivered a famous speech at the Cooper Union that evening. The photo was reproduced widely during Lincoln's campaign for the presidency that year and later became known as the Cooper Union portrait. Lincoln later said the photo and the speech he gave that night "made me president." The photo is certainly a striking one and presents Lincoln very favorably. Lincoln had the reputation of being a rough-hewn Westerner. This picture shows him as something else -- a handsome and rather elegant, serious man. He is youngish but not too young. He is smoothly dressed, but he's not a dandy. In the picture he looks serious and thoughtful, ready to take on the responsibilities of a nation torn apart by the issues of ...  more