The Peoria Riverfront Museum says it has acquired the only original ambrotype of Abraham Lincoln, an image it calls the most important photograph ever taken in Peoria.
The museum announced the acquisition Oct. 20 on its 14th anniversary. Known as the "Peoria Portrait," it is one of the most famous early photographic images of a beardless Lincoln and was used in his 1858 U.S. Senate campaign, according to the museum.
The museum says it is generally agreed that Roderick M. Cole created the image in 1858 at his Peoria studio at the corner of Main and Washington streets, using the ambrotype process. Cole was an American photographer who lived from 1822 to 1910, the release states.
According to the museum, Daniel Weinberg of the Abraham Lincoln Book Shop Inc. in Chicago confirmed the image is the original from which all other ambrotypes were produced. Weinberg has 20 years of experience authenticating historic Lincoln documents and corresponded with other Lincoln experts who agreed on the finding, the release says.
How the museum found it
The museum says Seth Kaller, curator for its exhibition "The Promise of Liberty," and Weinberg found the Lincoln ambrotype at a rare book fair in New York City and recognized it had been taken in Peoria. The sale to the museum was negotiated after the image spent decades in private hands. America 250 donors sponsored the acquisition for the museum's permanent collection.
Lincoln's ties to Peoria
The museum notes Lincoln frequently visited Peoria, where he handled legal business and delivered political speeches ahead of his 1858 Senate campaign against Stephen A. Douglas. On Oct. 16, 1854, Lincoln delivered his Peoria Speech, a pivotal address opposing the expansion of slavery into the territories.
According to the release, Lincoln reportedly favored the 1858 portrait among his early photographic portraits. The image was later mass-produced as a carte de visite, a small paper photographic collectible, and distributed to voters and supporters, helping introduce the beardless candidate to the American public.
A landmark year
The museum says the acquisition comes during a milestone year. To mark America's 250th anniversary, it staged a record eight self-curated exhibitions, headlined by "The Promise of Liberty," guest curated by Ken Burns. That exhibition features more than 200 rare original founding documents and objects, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and a Lincoln-signed Emancipation Proclamation, the release states.
The museum also recently opened "Transportation Revolutions: How America Moves," its largest transportation exhibition, and "We Remember: Stories from the National September 11 Memorial & Museum."
The museum said earlier this year that its All-Illinois Student Pass, which provides free admission to every K-12 student in Illinois, will be extended through 2027 with support from Ashley and Jeremy Bellamy. The program was established earlier this year with support from the Bellamys, the Gilmore Foundation and an anonymous Chicago-based foundation.
Since opening Oct. 20, 2012, the museum has welcomed more than 2 million patrons. For more information, visit peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.
Source: the original release