Lincoln of Illinois

In February 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a country lawyer from Illinois was little known outside of his home state. He was fifty-one years old and a former Whig. Despite having served in the state legislature while he was still in his twenties, he had done little else to attract high political recognition past a single term in Congress in 1847-8.

But in 1858, he made a strong Republican challenge for Illinois’ Senate seat, held by Stephen A. Douglas, a well-known Democrat, who had served on a national level for more than a decade, and was considered a political force to be reckoned with. 

In a startling and headline-grabbing campaign, tall and lanky Lincoln vied with “the Little Giant” (a full foot shorter than Lincoln) in a series of seven debates throughout Illinois. Thousands of people came from miles around to hear them. 

The issues, particularly those regarding slavery and secession, were deep and compelling, and both parties made effective arguments. Lincoln actually won the popular vote, but the bottom line was that Stephen Douglas was reelected by the Illinois legislature, which in those days elected the U.S. Senators. Lincoln returned to being an attorney.

But he had begun to attract widespread attention, was invited to speak throughout the Midwest. He was a rising star.

Mathew Brady of New York

If Abraham Lincoln was just beginning to achieve notoriety, Mathew Brady (c. 1822-96), a New Yorker by birth and choice, and photographer by talent, was already famous. 

He had made a name for himself early on by photographing an elderly John Quincy Adams. When he won top honors with his photos at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, his fame was assured on both sides of the ocean. A few months later, when impresario Phineas T. Barnum brought Swedish soprano Jenny Lind to the USA, Brady took her photo, had it displayed prominently in his studio – and his reputation was absolute. 

In short, Mathew Brady became to photography what John Singer Sargent would later become to art: a supreme portraitist. Every well known personage wanted to sit for Brady.

Brady had yet another great gift – an instinct for publicity. His studio became a mecca for tourists in NY, and a photograph of a prominent person in Brady’s window guaranteed hundreds of copies to be purchased – and fame to the subject.

Lincoln Comes East

In fall 1859, Lincoln received an invitation from The Young Men’s Central Republican Union to speak in New York City. NY was a prime venue, so he accepted with alacrity.

The venue originally selected for Lincoln’s speech was at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, where Henry Ward Beecher, one of the preeminent ministers of his time, based his congregation. By the time Lincoln arrived for the event, in late February 1860, the venue had been changed. It was not large enough to support the huge number of politically savvy New Yorkers who wanted to attend. Cooper Union in Manhattan, with its great hall that could (and did) accommodate 1500 listeners was chosen. Those 1500 attendees were happy to pay the $5 admission fee. Lincoln had spent many hours crafting his speech. They would not be disappointed.

The Sitting, or Standing

Earlier on February 27, the day of the lecture, Abraham Lincoln visited Mathew Brady’s studio to have his photograph taken. Lincoln was an astute politician who had realized early on that the proverbial “picture being worth a thousand words” could easily apply in politics. He sat for countless photographs during his lifetime. 

Brady, already at the pinnacle of his fame, was happy to have the gangling midwesterner pose for the camera. He was well aware of Lincoln’s growing popularity, and happy to add him to his portfolio of prominent portraits. 

Lincoln’s “Brady” photograph is unusual in many ways. He was beardless, and only a dozen or so (usually unflattering) images were taken prior to his new facial “acquisition.” He was also standing. This is very rare (other than among the soldiers), because of his great height. It is said that Brady personally arranged Lincoln’s collar, which Lincoln recognized as an effort to minimize his long neck. 

Brady always favored “props” as part of the artistic setting. Lincoln had his hand on a book, and in the background was a pillar. Bottom line: Lincoln looked like a statesman. The character that showed through his deep-set eyes made exactly the statement that both subject and photographer wanted.

Knowing that Lincoln was speaking that night, Brady’s photo was immediately developed and placed in the photographer’s studio window. Hundreds of cartes d’visite were printed – and immediately sold! 

Later, the photograph would be reworked as a woodcut by artist Winslow Homer (en route to being a premier artist on his own merit), and graced the cover of Harper’s Weekly, one of the foremost magazines of its day. The orientation was “flopped,” and an open drape displayed a scenic view.

It was also copied many times once Lincoln received the Republican nomination for president a few months later.

The Aftermath

Lincoln’s speech at Cooper Union was a long one, arguably the longest speech he ever made. But it was a rousing success. Rather than lofty political fluff or the backwoods anecdotes that some expected, it was well-considered, well phrased and well balanced. His list of admirers grew. 

His name was now featured prominently as a potential presidential candidate that year. Magazine articles were written about him, most of them featuring the Brady photograph. 

Some time later, when Lincoln and Brady met again (Lincoln was his subject on several occasions), Lincoln credited the photograph in helping make him President.

Sources:

Guelzo, Allen C. – Lincoln and Douglas – Wm. B. Eerdsman Publ. – 1997

Oates, Stephen B. – The Approaching Fury – HarperCollins, 1997

Pistor, Nicholas, J.C. – Shooting Lincoln: Mathew Brady, Alexander Gardner, and the Race to Photograph the Story of the Century – DeCapo Press, 2017

https://www.britannica.com/event/Lincoln-Douglas-debates

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/cooper.htm