Description

Lincoln in half-length portrait, seated, facing front. Photographed by Preston Butler in Springfield, Il, August, 13, 1860. Photographed as an ambrotype on a 5 3 4 x 4 1 2 in. plate.Thought to be the last beardless portrait of Lincoln, this photo was made for the portrait painter, John Henry Brown, noted for his miniatures in ivory. … There are so many hard lines in his face, wrote Brown in his diary, that it becomes a mask to the inner man. His true character only shines out when in an animated conversation, or when telling an amusing tale. … He is said to be a homely man; I do not think so.