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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) [Full length seated portrait of Lincoln]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC05111.01.0466 Author/Creator: Gardner, Alexander (1821-1882) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Photograph Date: 8 November 1863 Pagination: 1 albumen : b&w ; 52.5 x 38.0 cm. Order a Copy

Printed signature in Lincoln's hand beneath portrait: "Your obt. servt. A. Lincoln" Lincoln is seated in an armchair known as a "Brady Chair," which previously belonged to the House of Representatives. The original portrait was taken on November 8, 1863, shortly before Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address. Philp & Solomons published this enlarged print in 1865. Identified numerically in Lloyd Ostendorf's published collection of Lincoln photographs as "O-79." Stained, with water damage. Fragile.

Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Gardner, Alexander, 1821-1882

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