Object Details
Artist
Alexander Gardner, 17 Oct 1821 - 10 Dec 1882
Sitter
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865
Exhibition Label
This object exemplifies the means by which a photographic image was produced on paper: the glass-plate negative that was the “film” of early photography. Because of their fragility, surviving glass-plate negatives of this size (the so-called “imperial”) are rare: this is one of two of Lincoln that have survived and dates from his August 9, 1863, sitting at Gardner’s Washington studio. The process Gardner used was relatively new to America and consisted of hand-coating a glass plate with collodion—a syrupy mixture of guncotton dissolved in alcohol and ether to which bromide and iodine salts had been added. The difficulty for the photographer was that the glass plate had to be coated with collodion, sensitized in a bath of silver nitrate, and exposed in the camera immediately, while the emulsion was still damp. Gardner was acknowledged as a master in evenly coating the plate, which resulted in prints of exceptional clarity.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the James Smithson Society, CBS Television Network, and James Macatee
Date
1863
Object number
NPG.83.129
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Photographic Negative
Medium
Wet collodion negative
Dimensions
Image: 43.5 × 33 cm (17 1/8 × 13")
Plate: 50.7 × 43.2 cm (19 15/16 × 17")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Printed Material\Book
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Table
Costume\Jewelry\Chain
Costume\Dress Accessory\Handkerchief
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
Interior\Studio\Photography
Abraham Lincoln: Male
Abraham Lincoln: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\Soldier
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\President of US
Abraham Lincoln: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Environmentalist
Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\US Congressman\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Surveyor
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\State Senator\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster
Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Tradesman\Boat builder
Portrait
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npg_NPG.83.129