Skip to main content

Search

Donate

Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Admission
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Tips and Guidelines
    • Accessibility
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX Theaters
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Nature
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Smithsonian Snapshot
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Join Us
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Administration
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Records Request Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
          • Goals and Accomplishments
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Abraham Lincoln

National Portrait Gallery

Addthis Share Tools

    • Print

Object Details

Artist
Alexander Gardner, 17 Oct 1821 - 10 Dec 1882
Sitter
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865
Exhibition Label
Alexander Gardner took this portrait of Abraham Lincoln at the last sitting the president gave him, on Sunday, February 5, 1865. That same sitting produced the accidental masterpiece known as the “cracked-plate” portrait. The other photographs from this session had Gardner’s characteristic sharpness and clarity in the president’s face and expression. However, here, the president’s hands were fidgety, as evidenced by the blurring of the eyeglasses and the pencil that he holds as props. From this original image, Gardner and his assistants cleaned up the blurring during post-production editing or retouching, a nineteenth-century version of Photoshop. They also introduced a subtle variation: in some of the prints, instead of spectacles, Lincoln is holding a penknife, with which he would presumably sharpen the pencil.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1865
Object number
NPG.2007.184
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Photograph
Medium
Albumen silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 8.7 x 5.4 cm (3 7/16 x 2 1/8")
Mount: 10.2 x 6 cm (4 x 2 3/8")
Mat (New): 35.6 × 27.9 cm (14 × 11")
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Interior
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Photographic format\Carte-de-visite
Abraham Lincoln: Male
Abraham Lincoln: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer
Abraham Lincoln: Military\Soldier
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\President of US
Abraham Lincoln: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist
Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government Official\Surveyor
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\State Senator\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government Official\Postmaster
Abraham Lincoln: Crafts and Trades\Boat builder
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2007.184
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm486bf4d40-d39c-47fa-ab72-39d8e8d0d992

Related Content

  • Abraham Lincoln

  • Abraham Lincoln

    Portrait Gallery
  • Abraham Lincoln

    Portrait Gallery
  • Abraham Lincoln

    Portrait Gallery
  • Abraham Lincoln

    Portrait Gallery
  • One Life: The Mask of Lincoln

    Portrait Gallery
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Smithsonian 175
  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top