Abraham Lincoln

Object Details

Artist

Alexander Gardner, 17 Oct 1821 - 10 Dec 1882

Sitter

Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865

Exhibition Label

Born Hardin County, Kentucky

In February of 1865, just two months before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Alexander Gardner created this “cracked-plate” portrait, now considered one of the most important and evocative photographs in American history. Aside from the detail in the center of Lincoln’s face, much of the picture appears diffused or out of focus. Deep, dark grooves in Lincoln’s skin may evoke his weariness at the end of the Civil War, but he also exhibits a slight smile—perhaps a sign of relief as the restoration of the Union draws near. Lincoln had looked forward to continuing his presidency but was assassinated only weeks after beginning his second term. At some point, possibly when the glass-plate negative was heated to receive a coat of varnish, a crack appeared in the upper half of Gardner’s plate. He made a single print and then discarded the damaged plate, so only one such portrait exists.

Nacido en el condado de Hardin, Kentucky

En febrero de 1865, tan solo dos meses antes del asesinato de Abraham Lincoln, Alexander Gardner hizo este retrato “de la placa quebrada”, que hoy se considera una de las fotografías más importantes y evocadoras de la historia estadounidense. Exceptuando los detalles centrales del rostro de Lincoln, que aparecen con gran nitidez, Buena parte de la imagen aparece difusa o desenfocada. Los surcos profundos y oscuros en la piel de Lincoln parecen evocar su fatiga al final de la Guerra Civil, pero al mismo tiempo la leve sonrisa es quizás un signo de alivio porque ya estaba cerca la restauración de la Unión. Lincoln tenía grandes esperanzas para la continuación de su administración pero fue asesinado apenas unas semanas después de comenzar su segundo término. En algún momento, posiblemente al calendar el negativo de vidrio para aplicarle una capa de barniz, apareció una grieta en la parte superior de la placa. Gardner hizo una sola impresión y enseguida descartó la placa quebrada, así que solo existe un retrato de aquel negativo.

Collection Description

The Frederick Hill Meserve Collection comprises more than five thousand Civil War-era portrait negatives from the Mathew Brady photography studio in New York City. The collection, which the National Portrait Gallery acquired in 1981, includes portraits of generals, politicians, diplomats, painters, and performers. It also contains depictions of “Human Curiosities” at P. T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York City, that, although highly exploitative, help to document the historical representations of disability in the United States.

La Colección Frederick Hill Meserve contiene más de 5,000 negativos de retratos de la época de la Guerra Civil provenientes del estudio fotográfico de Mathew Brady en la ciudad de Nueva York. Adquirida por la National Portrait Gallery en 1981, la colección incluye retratos de militares, políticos, diplomáticos y artistas. También contiene imágenes de “curiosidades humanas” exhibidas en el American Museum de P.T. Barnum en Nueva York. Estas últimas, a pesar de su índole degradante, nos ayudan a documentar la representación histórica de las personas discapacitadas en EE.UU.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Frederick Hill Meserve Collection

1865

Object number

NPG.81.M1

Restrictions & Rights

CC0

Type

Photograph

Medium

Albumen silver print

Dimensions

Image: 45 x 38.6cm (17 11/16 x 15 3/16")

Mat: 61.9 x 50.2cm (24 3/8 x 19 3/4")

Frame: 74.9 x 63.8 x 7cm (29 1/2 x 25 1/8 x 2 3/4")

Place

United States\District of Columbia\Washington

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Abraham Lincoln: Male

Abraham Lincoln: Law and Law Enforcement\Lawyer

Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\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.81.M1

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm488bacb86-047c-4082-baad-544502d34a42