[LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865)]. Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth ...

[LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865)]. Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States. New York: Currier & Ives, 1860. Hand-colored lithograph (356 x 254 mm), few marginal spots, light sunning noticeable at margins, possible evidence of washing at lower image corner. “Here is a picture of a young, ambitious politician. This image is based on a photograph that Abraham Lincoln had taken by Mathew Brady in New York. The day Lincoln gave his famous Cooper Union speech - where he proved to the East Coast that he was a serious contender for the presidency - he visited Brady’s studio. The photograph was reproduced in newspapers, campaign ribbons, and on popular prints, such as this one by Currier & Ives… Lincoln was a popular subject for [the printer]. They produced thirty-five different images with him as the subject, including one of his 1865 assassination” (The Civil War in Art). To enhance the president-elect’s appearance, printmakers often showed Lincoln seated in symbolic chairs, usually with books, as seen here which suggested his patriotism and wisdom. Another variant, more commonly seen, shows the exact image but with Lincoln sporting his iconic beard.