Abraham Lincoln 2nd Bearded Photo! Meserve Printed & Collected

A photographic print of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), printed sometime in the early 20th century, from the personal collection of world-renowned Lincoln collector Frederick H. Meserve (1865-1962). It represents the second known photo taken of a newly bearded Lincoln and was originally taken in January 1861 by Springfield, Illinois photographer Christopher S. German (1814-1896). Inscribed and numbered in pencil by Meserve verso as "34" which corresponds with the numbering system he first developed for his privately published volume, "The Photographs of Abraham Lincoln" (1911). Expected surface wear including minor silvering along the right edge and light mounting traces verso, else near fine. 2.125" x 3.25."

Meserve described the sourcing of this Lincoln portrait, as with others like it in this particular collection, with the following statement: "The photographic portraits [have been] printed from the original negatives or from negatives made from the original negatives." Thus these photos can be considered as Type II or Type IV photographs. Meserve described this Lincoln portrait as "a photograph by C.S. German, made in Springfield, Ill. January 26, 1861. Capt. O.H. Oldroyd of Springfield and Washington told the author that Mr. German gave him the photograph and stated when it was made." Christopher S. German operated three photo studios--the National Gallery, Union Gallery, and City Gallery--in Springfield, Illinois during the 1860s.

In his description, Meserve mentions "Capt. O.H. Oldroyd." This was Osborn H. Oldroyd (1842-1930), an author, Lincoln collector, and director of the Lincoln Home Museum in Springfield, Illinois between 1884 and 1893. Oldroyd, a Civil War veteran, lived at Lincoln's former home in Springfield, Illinois, which he turned into the Lincoln Museum in 1884 to house his growing collection of Lincoln memorabilia. Oldroyd and his family moved into the Peterson House in the 1890s, where Oldroyd served as the first curator of the Lincoln Relics Museum. Oldroyd sold 3,000 pieces of his collection to the U.S. Government around 1925.

Lincoln sat for over fifty official portraits from his lawyering days on the court circuit until his assassination. Lincoln had several distinctive physical characteristics: a gaunt face, a skinny neck, a large mole on his right cheek, and a slightly drooping left eyelid. Though not handsome, Lincoln possessed a plain-spun homeliness that endeared him to voters. The future president's awkward physical appearance went a long way in fostering his log cabin-born rail-splitter mystique.

Frederick H. Meserve was a preeminent collector of Lincoln and Civil War-era photography, ephemera, maps, and books. He began collecting Lincolniana in 1897, with the intention of illustrating his father's Civil War diary. In the early 1900s, Meserve acquired 10,000 original Brady negatives including seven Lincoln portraits. Meserve continued collecting Lincoln likenesses, as well as photos of Lincoln's contemporaries, over the next sixty years. He eventually amassed a collection of 200,000 pieces including some previously "lost" or unknown images of Lincoln. Meserve's collection was so esteemed for its completeness that he essentially became the custodian of "Lincoln's image." Meserve was approached by medal and currency engravers, as well as by the sculptors of Lincoln's Memorial Monument, for direct access to his presidential photographs. In 2015, the Meserve-Kunhardt Collection was acquired by the Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, Connecticut.)

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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