Abraham Lincoln, February 5, 1865

Alexander Gardner took this portrait of Abraham Lincoln during the final sitting the president granted him, on February 5th, 1865. While other photographs from the session display Gardner’s characteristic clarity, this image captures subtle movement in Lincoln’s hands, resulting in the blurring of the eyeglasses and pencil he holds. 

During post-production retouching, Gardner and his assistants refined these details, sometimes substituting a penknife for the spectacles. The resulting images reflect both the technical practices of nineteenth-century photography and the quiet tension of Lincoln’s final weeks in office.