Description:

Abraham Lincoln Iconic Portrait After Hesler by George B. Ayres, Original Frame

A striking example of the iconic photograph of a beardless Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), future 16th U.S. President, originally taken on June 3, 1860 by Chicago photographer Alexander Hesler (1823-1895), who sold some of his original glass negatives to Philadelphia photographer George B. Ayres in 1867. Ayres discretely retouched Hesler's original negatives in order to correct wear or damage, and started selling them after 1881 and until his death in 1905.

The sepia-colored semi-glossy platinum photograph of Lincoln is mounted to board, with a cream four-sided mat loosely affixed to the bottom edge. This mat partially obscures two Ayres blind-stamps located in either bottom corner, each reading "G. B. Ayres, Copyright 1881" (with a few figures running off the edge.) "Copyright / Geo. B. Ayres / Phila" is inscribed on the frame backing verso, and a former collector added notes about preservation on a retained photocopy of this inscription. Expected wear including toning and photo flaws, else near fine. Discoloration and mounting traces are found on the photograph backing and frame edges, and the period frame is ebonized and shows expected surface wear, else near fine. The sight size of the photograph is 6.375" x 8.25" while the overall framed piece measures 10.625" x 12.25." Meserve no. 26.

Alexander Hesler had photographed four views of Abraham Lincoln in a single sitting on June 3, 1860 in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln had recently been nominated as presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention held in Chicago two weeks earlier, on May 18, 1860. Of the 36 extant photographs of Lincoln taken before assuming the presidency, ca. 1846/1847- February 1861, Hesler's portraits are some of the best known. They were praised by Lincoln himself, who is quoted as saying, "Well, that looks right, and expresses me better than any I have seen." Hesler's portraits were prized not only for accurately documenting Lincoln's dominant physical features, but also for capturing the spirit, or essence, of the aspiring politician.

This portrait is from Hesler's "Negative No. 1," which Ayres describes in a contemporary promotional pamphlet as representing "Mr. Lincoln's face almost in profile. The pose is most happily chosen as showing his peculiar facial characteristics--the full, high forehead and its wealth of hair, the shaggy eyebrows, 'the lone mole,' the hollow check and massive jaw, the lip awry, --and above all, the sculpturesque nose, beautifully defined against the background." In an undated promotional pamphlet, Ayres offered customers 8" x 10" platinum prints like this one for $5, and 8" x 10" plain or "old-fashioned" photographs for $3.

Ayres proudly recounted how his purchase of Hesler's original Lincoln negatives in 1867 safeguarded them from almost certain destruction in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Sadly, the negatives could not escape accidental damage: they were broken in the mail in 1933.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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August 17, 2022 10:30 AM EDT
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