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Photo, Print, Drawing [Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front]

[ digital file from original photo ]

More Resources

[ digital file from color film copy transparency post-1992 ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. post-1992 ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1959 cleaning and restoration? ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1959 cleaning and restoration, copy of retouched print ]
[ digital file from b&w film copy neg. of old photographic printt ]

About this Item

Title

  • [Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front]

Summary

  • This daguerreotype is the earliest-known photograph of Abraham Lincoln, taken at age 37 when he was a frontier lawyer in Springfield and Congressman-elect from Illinois. (Source: Ostendorf, p. 4)

Names

  • Shepherd, Nicholas H., photographer

Created / Published

  • [Springfield, Ill., 1846 or 1847]

Headings

  • -  Lincoln, Abraham,--1809-1865

Headings

  • Daguerreotypes--1840-1850.
  • Portrait photographs--1840-1850.

Genre

  • Portrait photographs--1840-1850
  • Daguerreotypes--1840-1850

Notes

  • -  Title devised by Library staff.
  • -  Attributed to Nicholas H. Shepherd, based on the recollections of Gibson W. Harris, a law student in Lincoln's office from 1845 to 1847. (Source: Gibson William Harris, "My Recollections of Abraham Lincoln," Women's Home Companion (November 1903), 9-11.) Robert Lincoln, son of the President, thought the photo was made in either St. Louis or Washington during his father's term in Congress.
  • -  Hallmark: Rinhart 46.
  • -  Case: variant of Rinhart 140.
  • -  Daguerreotype received from donor without case. Case added after 1958 cleaning.
  • -  Ostendorf, no. 1
  • -  Meserve, no. 1
  • -  Gift; Mary Lincoln Isham; 1937.
  • -  Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress).
  • -  Published in: Lincoln's photographs: a complete album / by Lloyd Ostendorf. Dayton, OH: Rockywood Press, 1998, p. 4-5.
  • -  Published in: The tradition of technology : Landmarks of Western technology ... / Leonard C. Bruno. Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1995, p. 111 & 243.
  • -  Published in: Facing the light / H. Pfister. Washington, D.C. : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1978, p. 332.
  • -  Published in: "Famous People" chapter of the ebook Great Photographs from the Library of Congress, 2013.
  • -  Exhibited: "With Malice Toward None : The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition" at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2009.
  • -  Exhibited as a digital copy in: "Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America's Library" at the Annenberg Space for Photography, 2018; Icons section.
  • -  Annenberg batch 19

Medium

  • 1 photograph : quarter plate daguerreotype ; plate 12 x 9.5 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • DAG no. 1224 (Cabinet A)

Source Collection

  • Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress)

Repository

Digital Id

  • ppmsca 53842 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.53842
  • cph 3g02439 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3g02439
  • cph 3d02095 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3d02095
  • cph 3a00289 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a00289
  • cph 3a14822 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a14822
  • cph 3a07773 //hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3a07773

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2004664400

Reproduction Number

  • LC-DIG-ppmsca-53842 (digital file from original photo) LC-USZC4-2439 (color film copy transparency post-1992) LC-USZ6-2095 (b&w film copy neg. post-1992) LC-USZ6-299 (b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1958 cleaning and restoration?) LC-USZ62-12457 (b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1958 cleaning and restoration, copy of retouched print) LC-USZ62-4377 (b&w film copy neg. made from old photographic print)

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication.

Access Advisory

  • Restricted access. Please use digital image or other reference copy. Original photo is too fragile to serve.

Online Format

  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

The contents of the Library of Congress Daguerreotypes Collection are in the public domain and are free to use and reuse.

For information about reproducing, publishing, and citing material from this collection, as well as access to the original items, see: Daguerreotype Photograph Filing Series - Rights and Restrictions Information

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Daguerreotypes Collection.

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

  • Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-53842 (digital file from original photo) LC-USZC4-2439 (color film copy transparency post-1992) LC-USZ6-2095 (b&w film copy neg. post-1992) LC-USZ6-299 (b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1958 cleaning and restoration?) LC-USZ62-12457 (b&w film copy neg. pre-1992, after 1958 cleaning and restoration, copy of retouched print) LC-USZ62-4377 (b&w film copy neg. made from old photographic print)
  • Call Number: DAG no. 1224 (Cabinet A)
  • Access Advisory: Restricted access. Please use digital image or other reference copy. Original photo is too fragile to serve.

Obtaining Copies

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  1. If a digital image is displaying: The qualities of the digital image partially depend on whether it was made from the original or an intermediate such as a copy negative or transparency. If the Reproduction Number field above includes a reproduction number that starts with LC-DIG..., then there is a digital image that was made directly from the original and is of sufficient resolution for most publication purposes.
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    If only black-and-white ("b&w") sources are listed and you desire a copy showing color or tint (assuming the original has any), you can generally purchase a quality copy of the original in color by citing the Call Number listed above and including the catalog record ("About This Item") with your request.

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Access to Originals

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  1. Is the item digitized? (A thumbnail (small) image will be visible on the left.)

    • Yes, the item is digitized. Please use the digital image in preference to requesting the original. All images can be viewed at a large size when you are in any reading room at the Library of Congress. In some cases, only thumbnail (small) images are available when you are outside the Library of Congress because the item is rights restricted or has not been evaluated for rights restrictions.
      As a preservation measure, we generally do not serve an original item when a digital image is available. If you have a compelling reason to see the original, consult with a reference librarian. (Sometimes, the original is simply too fragile to serve. For example, glass and film photographic negatives are particularly subject to damage. They are also easier to see online where they are presented as positive images.)
    • No, the item is not digitized. Please go to #2.
  2. Do the Access Advisory or Call Number fields above indicate that a non-digital surrogate exists, such as microfilm or copy prints?

    • Yes, another surrogate exists. Reference staff can direct you to this surrogate.
    • No, another surrogate does not exist. Please go to #3.
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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Shepherd, Nicholas H, photographer. Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front. , 1846. [Springfield, Ill., or 1847] Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2004664400/.

APA citation style:

Shepherd, N. H., photographer. (1846) Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front. , 1846. [Springfield, Ill., or 1847] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2004664400/.

MLA citation style:

Shepherd, Nicholas H, photographer. Abraham Lincoln, Congressman-elect from Illinois. Three-quarter length portrait, seated, facing front. [Springfield, Ill., or 1847] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2004664400/>.