>From today's Writer's Almanac: It was on this day in 1860 that the photographer Mathew Brady took the first of several portraits of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was just a presidential hopeful at the time, and he stopped by Mathew Brady's portrait gallery in New York City on his way to give an antislavery speech at the Cooper Union, and he thought a portrait might help his presidential campaign.
The portrait was difficult to take, in part because Lincoln was so tall. Brady usually used a head clamp to immobilize his subjects, but the clamp didn't reach Lincoln's head. So Lincoln had to stand absolutely still for several minutes of his own free will. The photograph worked out, though, and it was published on the cover of Harper's Weekly. Lincoln later claimed the photograph and the Cooper's Union had made him president. -------------------- It's interesting that he thought a portrait might help is campaign. Tom C. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
