Lincoln’s Legacy: Historic Americana from the Life of Abraham Lincoln

Oval salt print of Abraham Lincoln; 2 x 1 1/2 in. (50 x 64 mm), including mount; light wear to edges of print, including minor imperfection near top right edge. Possibly derived from daguerreotype originally taken ca. 1858 by Roderick Cole, Peoria, Illinois (Ostendorf O-14).

[With:] Oval salt print of Stephen A. Douglas; 2 x 1 1/2 in. (51 x 38 mm), including mount; light wear to edges of print. Photographer unknown.

Although there is uncertainty as to the identity of the photographer who produced the image of Lincoln, and several cities in Illinois, Ohio, and Missouri have been suggested as the site of the sitting, this portrait was most likely taken by Roderick M. Cole, a daguerreotypist and photographer who operated a studio in Peoria from about 1857 with his brother, Henry. Originally, the photograph was supposedly taken as a Daguerreian likeness in 1858 during the Lincoln and Douglas campaigns. As the 1860 presidential campaign took shape, demand for portraits of the Republican candidate surged. Images of Stephen A. Douglas, the Democratic nominee, were also in demand. Both photographs presented here were likely printed in conjunction with the 1860 presidential campaign.

Provenance:

Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California

Exhibition:

The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America, at the Huntington Library, October 1993-August 1994