Lot 73

Abraham Lincoln "Gettysburg Portrait" After Gardner - A Commanding 15" h. Retouched Print

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Abraham Lincoln "Gettysburg Portrait" After Gardner - A Commanding 15" h. Retouched Print

Estimate: $300 - $400

Starting Bid: $100

(0 Bids)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

Abraham Lincoln
n.p., n.d.
Abraham Lincoln "Gettysburg Portrait" After Gardner - A Commanding 15" h. Retouched Print
Photograph

A photographic print of 16th U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), after Alexander Gardner's original portrait taken in November 1863. N.d., n.p. The black and white glossy photographic print is affixed to a cream-colored stock mount. It has been professionally retouched to accentuate outlines, most notably around Lincoln's entire head, neck, and shoulders. In addition, Lincoln's hairline, left eye, cheeks, and beard have been retouched. The bottom margin recto and the mount verso have been inscribed in pencil and blue pen by a former collector. Expected superficial wear including scuffs and wrinkles. Else very good. The actual size of the photographic print is 10" x 13.5" while the overall mount measures 10.25" x 15". Meserve No. 59.

Modern Lincoln scholars contend that Alexander Gardner (1821-1882) took the original photograph upon which this one is based at a November 8, 1863 photo session, during which time multiple views were taken. This legendary portrait of Lincoln - which seems so strikingly modern - has since become known as the "Gettysburg portrait" or the "roving eye" portrait. The full frontal, closely cropped view of Lincoln showed his head and shoulders, complete with deeply gouged facial wrinkles, mussed cowlick, and lopsided bow tie.

In his article "The 'Gettysburg' Lincoln: The Back Story of a Full-Frontal Photograph," art historian Harold Holzer has described his visceral reaction to this iconic photograph: "It was Lincoln's strange gaze in the portrait that first fascinated me--the right eye a cool, intense gray, staring unblinkingly into the camera, but the left one roving upward in its socket, straying from the viewer for some unfathomable reason, perhaps a medical one, making the subject look mysterious, crafty, tragic, almost otherworldly." Holzer later speculated whether Lincoln's cast eye was caused by a childhood injury or a genetic disorder called Marfan's syndrome.

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.

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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  • Dimensions: mount: 10.25" x 15"
  • Medium: Photograph

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Bid Increments
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$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000