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Photograph of Abraham Lincoln in 1858
PhysLinc #
Synonyms
 
 A58e1
 
 
 AL.1858.2
 
 
 A58eg1
 
The Image
Photographer:  Byers
Sitting date: 1858-05-07
Location: Beardstown, IL
Technique: Ambrotype
Hamilton '63 Pages 14, 15, 360a
Book Notes
Mellon '79 [p 28]
Original [[ambrotype]] made by Abraham [[Byers]], in [[Beardstown]], Illinois, May 7, 1858.
[[Ambrotype]] by Abraham M. [[Byers]], [[Beardstown]], Friday, May 7, 1858.
Collections cited in Books
Mellon '79 [p 29]
University of Nebraska.
     

The quality of this image in Mellon's book is a wonder to behold. Mellon and Benson copied the original ambrotype, which then was clearly in spectacular condition. In late 2007 the University of Nebraska emailed to me a freshly made scan of the original ambrotype. It showed a tragic degradation of the original image in the 32 years since Mellon's book was published, with chunks of the image missing and the contrast woefully reduced. I wrote to them, urging all steps be taken to prevent further degradation, but received no reply.

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