Striking ‘Photographs of Abraham Lincoln’ gets a modern-day release

One of history’s most familiar faces gains fresh depth in the new book “The Photographs of Abraham Lincoln.” Edited by Peter W. Kunhardt Jr., the glossy yet stately coffee-table book comes timed to the 150th anniversary of the death of the 16th president of the United States.

Lincoln was the first president to be photographed while in office, and the pictures speak volumes about the times and the man — 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 180 pounds, with thoughtful gray eyes and thick black hair captured in some surprisingly clear imagery.

An original edition of the book was printed privately by Lincoln historian Frederick Hill Meserve in 1911. He published an updated version in 1944 in collaboration with Lincoln biographer Carl Sandburg that was packed with newly found information about each photograph.

The modern edition (co-published by the Meserve-Kunhardt Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of historical photography) contains 114 images that show Lincoln’s strikingly gaunt face age from 1846 to 1865. Additional images include Lincoln lying in state after his assassination in April 1865 as well as photos of the president at Gettysburg and Antietam.

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