Return To Lincoln: The Image: Honest Old Abe
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"Uncle Abraham" presidential portraiture
When Lincoln grew a beard following his election, the “Honest Abe” of campaign prints became the dignified “Uncle Abraham” of presidential portraiture. The public was so eager to see the new image that many printmakers slapped wholly imagined whiskers on their outdated prints. The resulting pictures were often ridiculous, but considering the many copies that survive, wildly popular.