Lincoln on Deathbed Photo

etrecker

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Edgewood NM
For some time I have been working on finding out whether or not a photo I have I believe is Abraham Lincoln in Death. It has been featured by Barry Caucheon twice, once as Treasures in the Attic 1, and more recently as State YOur Case 1, Lincoln in Death Photo. These can be found on his awesometalksblogLincoln in Death. It was also featured on June 17th of this year by a local television station WHAG, Hagerstown Md. This can be found by going to your4state.com, and searching for the date or Does Local Woman have Lincoln in Death Photo.:shrug:

It never ceases to amaze me that people will glance at the man in this photo, and yet never look at it. No one so far has commented on, contradicted or rebuked any of the points Mr. Owens has made in his pdf "Could this be Lincoln". Even worse is the standard response "it can't be a picture of Lincoln, because none were allowed to be taken" Lincoln was shot on April 14, Stantons order was not issued until April 25th. No one has taken the time to logically analyze the photo and make a logical response or comment. Simply saying you don't think it is him, does not reinforce your case that it is not. Prove us wrong.
To begin with, the night Lincoln was shot, it was a known fact, that even before he was removed from the booth at Fords theatre, that there was little or nothing that could be done for him. The comment was made that when he looked into his eyes, he knew it was a mortal would. No matter what medical care was given, the doctors knew he would not survive. This meant that all that was to be done was to keep him from being hurt any further, and keep him as comfortable as possible. There was little or no "care" to be given, and none that would have done more than possibly extend his life a few moments.
When I read the accounts of his death, one thing struck me, it was the lack of respect that was given him, and especially to Mary Todd Lincoln that night. How could they have "removed" her from the room. Did she not have the right to be with her dying husband? Whose hand do you think he would have preferred hold his, the doctor, or his wife? She was the First Lady, but was treated like an unenvolved bystander. I believe this picture was taken because Mrs. Lincoln wanted to have a picture of her husband to show Toddy of his father while he was still alive, she was noted as having sobbed "my poor Toddy, will he never see his father alive again" and the reason that it has not been "discovered" in all these years is that---in all these years every time in the past when someone brought it out saying "hey this looks like" they were berraged by the individuals and "experts" that had convinced themselves that it did not exist,and whoever had it beieved it and gave up and therefore it was dismissed and discarded until it ended up in some junk vendors collection of "just old photos".
This photo is a very unusual one, it is on paper, I believe it is what is called quadchrome carbo print process, the most elaborate and expensive method photography at the time. It is also mounted on some type of leather, which is also very unusual, but along with a carbo print having the properties of being a type of photography that was known last for a long time, mounting it on leather instead of paper, would also help preserve it. Signs that who did the photo was doing their best to make sure it would be around for some time.
 

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Etrecker,

The only known photograph of President Lincoln in death, was taken while he was in the State house, a press photographer took a picture of Lincoln in his casket.

O.R.--SERIES I--VOLUME XLVI/3 [S# 97]
UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, AND RETURNS RELATING TO OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA, MARYLAND, AND PENNSYLVANIA, FROM MARCH 16, 1865, TO JUNE 30, 1865.(*)--#39
NEW YORK CITY, April 25, 1865.
(Received 6.05 p.m.)
Hon. E. M. STANTON:
The ceremonies and procession have been most complete and imposing. Everything passed off admirably. I have examined the remains and they are in perfect preservation. We start for Albany at 4.15 p.m.
E. D. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
-----


WAR DEPARTMENT,
Washington City, April 25, 1865--11.40 p.m.
Brigadier-General TOWNSEND,
Adjutant-General, New York:
I see by the New York papers this evening that a photograph of the corpse of President Lincoln was allowed to be taken yesterday in New York. I cannot sufficiently express my surprise and disapproval of such an act while the body was in your charge. You will report what officers of the funeral escort were or ought to have been on duty at the time this was done, and immediately relieve them and order them to Washington. You will also direct the provost-marshal to go to the photographer, seize and destroy the plates and any pictures or engravings that may have been made, and consider yourself responsible if the offense is repeated.
EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.


I don't recall any photograph appearing at the Peterson house across the street from Ford's theater with Lincoln on the bed--only after picture with the blood soaked pillow and bedding.

Respectfully submitted,
M. E. Wolf
 
I doubt very much that is Lincoln, given that Stanton was present, but there are exceptions to every rule.

Thanks for the link, vet.
 
It would have been much easier to sneak that picture with a digital... or maybe not. The process of taking an image back than would not have been a secret... I'm sure his body was very well guarded after his death.

I doubt very much that is Lincoln, given that Stanton was present, but there are exceptions to every rule.

Thanks for the link, vet.
 
The problem with the death bed picture is that in that light the camera would have had to have been mounted on a tripod for the long exposure. Which means to get that angle the bed would have had to been placed upright or the photographer would have had to have been standing on the bed pointing the camera down. I just don't see that happening.
 
Good notice, vet.

I also noted that the figure was straight up in the bedding. Lincoln was too tall for the bed (anyone familiar with the 3/4 which preceeded full?). He was laid out diagonally so he'd fit.

With apologies to Ernestine, it isn't Lincoln. From what I've read, from beginning to end, it was a small room overrun with surgeons and officials and Mary.

However, it is barely possible that, when Lincoln died and everybody left, a picture was allowed. It was, after all, a tradition in some circles. But then there's Stanton ...........
 
I agree it's not Lincoln for all the reasons cited above. Plus, that bed was the first place where the doctors had an opportunity to do a complete physical examination of their patient. They stripped him of his clothes to do that. It seems highly unlikely they would have dressed him back up again on that bed after his death.

Also, the bullet lodged directly behind one of his eyeballs and caused that eye to become severely swollen and black. I'm not a medical person, but it seems to me the swelling wouldn't have gone down that soon after death.
 

I don't usually quote myself, and I don't want to disagree with any of you, but the author in this analysis disagrees with many of your conclusions.

"The bed was too short, and his legs reached over the end of the bed. The doctor
said, 'Break the footboard off so the president can lie in the bed.' It wouldn't come off, so the president
had to be laid diagonally across what became the deathbed." By the statements we have just read it
would seem that he was first laid in the bed on the pillow the right way. But he was to tall. Here is more
proof that Lincoln was first laid in the bed the right way. King held Lincoln's left shoulder immobile as
he was carried to the Petersen House. There, King and Taft unsuccessfully tried to remove the footboard
of the too short bed on which Lincoln was placed, and instead had to help lay him diagonally across it.
They then helped strip and examine him and cover him with mustard plasters. Now that I have proved
that Lincoln was laid in the bed the right way at first, and that he had his clothes on for a little while. At
least long enough to take a picture of him fully dressed. Now I would like to show you why I think this
is a picture of Abraham Lincoln. If we take a look at the picture below, I have marked out several points
in color. First the small red box is showing the mole on Lincoln's face. Second the two violet boxes on
his beard show the gray markings to be the same. The wrinkle on the pillow in the yellow box. It seems
to me as he laid on the pillow, the middle of the pillow was pressed down making the wrinkle stand up.
After removing Lincoln from the pillow the wrinkle fell over a little as seen in the bed picture. In the
red circle his head is in the same position as the small blood spot with drips of blood running down
from it on the bed pillow. Why is there so much blood on the pillow in the bed picture? And not with
the picture of the man. Because he was just laid on the pillow, they haven't even undressed him at this
point. Now take a look at light green box at his hairline, they are the same, and the gray is there also. In
the blue box you can barely see the rings on the headboard reflecting the light. After Lincoln was shot
we have to remember the right side of his face was swollen and this would change the way someone
looked considerably. Also over Lincolns right ear his hair makes a little curl now look in picture
number 4 you can see the the same little curl over his right ear. Written history states that there were
two pillows with blood on then. If you look at the picture above of the man with with the gold frame
around the picture. It looks like they have him propped up with two pillows, one under his back and one
under his head. It looks like at first they were trying to move him up as far as they could in the bed. I
read in another article that Petersen angrily threw one of the bloody pillows out the window and then
decided to charge admission to the uninvited visitors.
 
I don't usually quote myself, and I don't want to disagree with any of you, but the author in this analysis disagrees with many of your conclusions.

Well I truly hope the author is right, for etrecker's sake, but I have to say his analysis convinces me even more that this is not Lincoln. The only way I could see this being a picture of Lincoln on his deathbed is if he was dead. While he was alive it was an absolute zoo in that house, and it's impossible for me to imagine that they would have taken the time to take a photo (and as 101 pointed out, in those days it would have been a considerable amount of time at an extremely awkward angle) with everything else going on. Remember, at this point in time everyone believed that assassins were loose all over Washington DC and that a plot to overthrow the government was in effect.

But I could be wrong (hey, it has happened before), and I hope I am. :smile:
 
It's obvious that the two photos of the Peterson bedroom were taken after the body had been moved and no one was guarding the place. So that's easy to accomplish. I'm trying to mull over who would have looked enough like Lincoln, been possibly shot on the head and had his picture taken like that? Someone we should have heard about, but I can't say who that might have been. Yes, he looks a bit like Abe, maybe a lot for all I know, but the folded arms make me think the man was already dead when this was taken, and it took Lincoln hours to die. The guy looks familiar, and he could well be some known Civil War personality who was killed, then had his picture taken for history. But surely a real photo of Lincoln in death would be too valuable to not identify and/or try to cash in on or at least mention in a will or something. What did Chase look like? Didn't Lewis Payne/Powell try to stab him as he lay in bed, unable to move? [edit] Sorry, that was Seward, and he didn't have a beard.
 
In a way, he sort of looks like Barksdale, who was killed at Gettysburg. Just thrown' that out there. But he ought to have been in uniform.
 
Wait....I thought Stanton said the photo was taken in New York. I'm confused.....why does she say it's a deathbed? Isn't this guy on a bier or coffin? Now I have to look again.
 
Wait....I thought Stanton said the photo was taken in New York. I'm confused.....why does she say it's a deathbed? Isn't this guy on a bier or coffin? Now I have to look again.

The NYC photo was taken from a balcony and showed Lincoln in his open coffin with a guard of honor and flowers. Stanton prevented any other pix as Lincoln had started "to turn" with brown spots visible on his ace in the photo.

In regards to the picture under discussion. the corpse has chin whiskers , quite common at the time, but no side whiskers which Lincoln had. It is so very obvious, that I wonder if I missed something? NOT LINCOLN
 
The NYC photo was taken from a balcony and showed Lincoln in his open coffin with a guard of honor and flowers. Stanton prevented any other pix as Lincoln had started "to turn" with brown spots visible on his ace in the photo.

In regards to the picture under discussion. the corpse has chin whiskers , quite common at the time, but no side whiskers which Lincoln had. It is so very obvious, that I wonder if I missed something? NOT LINCOLN
''

OK....I've seen that one....wasn't it in Civil War Times or someplace? So I'm going to add my amateurish voice to this....nope, not Lincoln....for all the reasons you guys came up with. Anyone wanna play Where's Waldo? You're good!
 
After reading all the posts, I decided to google Lincoln death bed photos. The Harper's Weekly Magazine or newspapers kept coming up. Have any of you gotten any old copies or reproductions of copies? I read parts of the one that was posted May 6, 1865. This edition includes portrait of Lincoln and his son Tad. It said the issue was published shortly after Lincoln's assassination and includes incredible historical content on Lincoln, the Assassination, Reconstruction, Lincoln's funeral, and news of a mourning nation. I wonder if any libraries would have copies. I see they are for sale but cost a lot.
 
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