Power of the Photograph to Win Votes and Influence People
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Abraham Lincoln is a man imprisoned in a myth.
Abraham Lincoln is a man imprisoned in a myth. And the myth has been given substance and credibility by the many photographs made of him during his brief and turbulent political career. As the embat tled Civil War president, he grappled with the painful issue of slavery and the awesome prospect of secession. When an assassin's bullet ended his life on April 15, 1865, he was elevated instantly to the rank of tragic hero. And history has subsequently conferred an enduring sainthood upon him.
He is revered as the greatest American who ever lived and the quintessen tial folk hero. One historian went so far as to suggest it might have been a sacrilege to photograph him, since, like the gods, Abe Lincoln should merely be "perceived," not photographed.
He is revered as the greatest American who ever lived and the quintessen tial folk hero. One historian went so far as to suggest it might have been a sacrilege to photograph him, since, like the gods, Abe Lincoln should merely be "perceived," not photographed.
Brady and the Cooper Union speech made me president of the United States
Although he often alluded to himself as homely, he enjoyed being photo graphed. He was a frequent and willing visitor to photographic studios; indeed, he may have been the first politician in history to recognize the compelling power of the photograph to win votes and influence people. Certainly, he was the first American president to be extensively photographed; in all, over 130 daguerreotypes, tintypes, ambrotypes, stereographic cards, cartes de visite, and official portraits were made of him, of which 120 survive.
One of the finest portraits, and without doubt the most influential, was this one taken by Mathew Brady in his New York studio on February 27,1860. Lincoln was still dressed in the attire he wore for his now famous Cooper Union speech delivered earlier in the day ("Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."). The fifty-one-year-old presidential candidate would later proclaim, upon his election to the White House, "Brady and the Cooper Union speech made me president of the United States." Since the photograph was widely circulated during the campaign, both in the illustrated press and through the enormously popular Currier and Ives prints, it is probable that a great many more people saw and were persuaded by the photograph than ever heard the Cooper Union speech.
One of the finest portraits, and without doubt the most influential, was this one taken by Mathew Brady in his New York studio on February 27,1860. Lincoln was still dressed in the attire he wore for his now famous Cooper Union speech delivered earlier in the day ("Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."). The fifty-one-year-old presidential candidate would later proclaim, upon his election to the White House, "Brady and the Cooper Union speech made me president of the United States." Since the photograph was widely circulated during the campaign, both in the illustrated press and through the enormously popular Currier and Ives prints, it is probable that a great many more people saw and were persuaded by the photograph than ever heard the Cooper Union speech.
The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
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First successful publicity photograph in history
Even Brady himself seems to have sensed that he had captured some special essence of the man on film. Later he would confide to his friend, the portrait painter Francis Carpenter, that he too believed that his photograph of Lincoln was "the means of his election." Thus this picture is recognized as the first successful publicity photograph in history.
Down through the years, in countless political campaigns worldwide, publicity managers would fret over the image their candidate projected on film. A face that "the camera loves" has come to be regarded as a distinct advantage for those contemplating a political career.
Down through the years, in countless political campaigns worldwide, publicity managers would fret over the image their candidate projected on film. A face that "the camera loves" has come to be regarded as a distinct advantage for those contemplating a political career.
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