Authentication of the Lincoln Portrait Daguerreotype

In 1987, a print of an exceptionally high-quality, 19th century daguerreotype of a robust, confident-looking, and smartly dressed young man was brought to my office in Paris on, interestingly, Lincoln's birthday, February 12 (Figure 1a). The owner of the daguerreotype, which had been purchased from a gallery in New York City in 1977, was Mr. Albert Kaplan, an American then residing in Paris. Mr. Kaplan was convinced, after years of personal research, that the young man pictured in the daguerreotype was Abraham Lincoln. He had sought me out to subject his conviction to the science of my medical specialty.

This daguerreotype, referred to as the Kaplan (Figure 1a), dates from the early 1840s {1,2,3,4}. Born in 1809, Lincoln would have been in his early 30s. Hitherto, the earliest known photographic portrait of Abraham Lincoln, known as Meserve #1, was made in 1848 when Lincoln was 39 years old (Figure 1b) {5}.

Numerous accounts have revealed that Lincoln underwent a noticeable change in his physical appearance beginning in January 1841 as a result of a grave emotional crisis {6}. This coincides with his reported failure to go through with his scheduled marriage to Mary Todd, leaving her literally waiting for him at the altar. (They were married the following year.) This emotional crisis, just one of a series of such episodes to plague him throughout his life, was the cause of Lincoln losing a considerable amount of weight {7}.

Young Lincoln was known to be muscular and extremely powerful {8}. The older Lincoln was much thinner, and also prematurely aged by personal problems and the responsibility and anguish of the office he held during perhaps the greatest crisis the United States has ever undergone{9}.

As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, I examined the Kaplan based on my professional understanding of facial structure and aging. The most objective approach in examining a century-and-a-half old image seemed to be that of a plastic surgeon who evaluates pre- and postoperative photographs and anthropomorphic data of patients with cranio-facial deformities.

Because this is what could be called a 150-year-old case, I obviously could not gather diagnostic data by using today's sophisticated medical technology and equipment. I relied on accounts by Lincoln's law partner, William H. Herndon, letters from family and contemporaries, biographical materials, personal revelations {8}, papers by doctors on Lincoln's physical {9} and emotional problems {10}, scores of Lincoln photographic portraits, as well as a copy of a life mask, the original made just before Lincoln became president {11}.

In the 107 likenesses of Lincoln that I studied, the point of focus, angle of pose, head inclination, magnification, and lighting were all different {12}. Distortion inherent in photography also had to be taken in to account. The effects of weight-change, aging, and mental condition were duly noted.

An analysis of facial features using the canon of the vertical Golden Proportions appeared to be a valid approach to this unique project, because facial proportions can be determined mathematically {13}. An interesting and extensive discussion of this subject is contained in the article "Divine Proportion in Facial Esthetics" by Robert M. Ricketts, M.D. {14}. This canon is a basis for a system of mathematically developed proportions that have led to standard facial and cranial measurements enabling plastic, reconstructive, and orthodontic surgeons to use photographs to evaluate deviations from ideal, standard norms.

Although a prerequisite set of standardized photographs of Lincoln does not exist, I thought that cardinal or outstanding facial features - lips, eyelids, etc. - could still be used as vertical reference points if they were easily recognizable, regardless of the angle of the pose {15,16,17,18}.

The measured distance between these points would be proportionately accurate in a given portrait if realistic limits were pre-defined. Errors in measurement, even of the same photographic subject, would be impossible to avoid, given the subjective conditions of this retrospective study. Nonetheless, such errors could be expected to be small compared with the gross differences that would be found in individuals having different facial structures.

Only 15 of the known images of Lincoln were finally selected for close scrutiny solely because their poses were similar to the one in the Kaplan in that they all featured the left side of the face. The scores of other Lincoln images that were excluded were rejected simply because they all featured the other side of Lincoln's face. Later in life, Lincoln preferred to have his right side photographed, whereas the Kaplan daguerreotype, like Meserve #1 and the 1862 photograph shown in Figure 2, shows his left side.

Kaplan Daguerreotype
Early 1840's

Meserve #1
1848

Figure 2

President Lincoln
1862

Six of the selected portraits showed Lincoln with a beard. They were, nevertheless, analyzed, because even though the chin could not be pinpointed, the images could be used as a means of counter-checking the accuracy of the method used in locating the position of the central and upper facial features.

Each of the selected images was re-photographed and then enlarged or reduced in order to standardize the interpupillary distances (Figure 3), thereby, in the pursuit of increasing accuracy, removing at least one of the variables. Each print measured 26.5 cm x 33 cm, with interpupillary (IP) distance of 5.4 cm. (Figure 4).

The level of the eyes (LC) [Lateral Canthus] and the position of the lips (ST) [Stomatodeum] were chosen as "known" reference points. The positions of the nose (LN) [Lateral Nares] and chin ( ME) [Mentum] were considered as "unknowns." ME was calculated from the distance LC-ST and LN measured from ME. In this way, the height of the lower and central segments of the face could be broken down to include the lower lip and chin (mandible), and the upper lip, cheek, and nose (maxilla).

LC was drawn as a line from the lateral-most (outer) limits of the sclera (the white of the eye) in both eyes. This served as a "horizontal" of the face as a whole to which other facial features could be oriented. ST was determined at the lowest point of the upper lip tubercle (the thickening in the middle of the upper lip). A short line was then drawn parallel to LC, and the distance between LC and ST measured with a caliper to the closest 1/100th of a centimeter. ME was then calculated from ST as the shorter distance (0.618) of the golden section, taking LC-ST as 1.000. Once ME was found, simple measurement located LN, since LN-ME = LC-ST. At this point, it was possible to verify all points using the calculations in Table 1.

I treated all 15 Lincoln photographs and the Kaplan daguerreotype in the same way. At least three measurements were made of each image and recorded on acetate sheets. The sheets were overlaid, and any differences were then measured and noted.

In nearly all of Lincoln's photographs, he manifested bi-lateral ptosis (drooping of the upper eyelid), which is a rare congenital condition {19}.

At the age of ten, Lincoln was kicked by a horse, sustaining a major head trauma on the left side with a loss of consciousness {8}. As a result, Lincoln suffered from diplopia (double vision) {20} and exophoria (outward deviation) {21} of the left eye, both due to partial paralysis of the small eye muscles.

After examining the important life mask of Lincoln made in Chicago in 1860 by Leonard L. Volk, Dr. Edward J. Kempf reported in an April 1952 article "Abraham Lincoln's Organic and Emotional Neurosis" {22} in the American Medical Association Journal-Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, that he was able to identify a depressed skull fracture of the left frontal bone {23}. This serious injury, along with the aging process, with its inevitable sagging and loss of skin tone, aggravated the effects of the ptosis, especially in the injured left eye. This forced Lincoln to raise his left brow more and more as time went by.

Lincoln clearly had a unique face with a large forehead, a penetrating gaze, prominent cheek bones, a strong nose, and a well-outlined jaw. The moles on his face were also characteristic features. When he grew a beard in 1860, he presented a singular appearance: tall, gaunt, and filled with the look of "gloom and sadness." He was only 56 in 1865, the year of his assassination, but it was said he "looked 20 years older" {8}.

The determinations of LN and ME were surprisingly accurate in all of the Lincoln images. The difference between the calculated position of ME and the visual assessment of this point was always less than 1 mm, or a mere 0.5% of the total length of the face. This, in my opinion, is well within the limits of error for a retrospective study of this type. Therefore, I felt that the method was valid, and would offer a degree of scientific certainty if the same results were found in the Kaplan image.

When the same method was applied to the Kaplan (Figure 1A), the same results were obtained. The relative distances LC-ST, ST-ME, and ME-LN were identical. I therefore concluded that the vertical dimensions of the mandible, maxilla, nose length, and the position of the orbits of the face shown in the Kaplan were the same as those of the face of Abraham Lincoln.

Kaplan Daguerreotype
Early 1840's

Meserve #1
1848

President Lincoln
1862

Results of anthropomorphic analysis show identical horizontal and vertical bone structure. Note that all the images appearing in this report, have for purposes of presentation, been reduced in size from those used in the study.

A great number of similarities are readily seen, especially when each segment of the Kaplan image is examined separately. As will be pointed out later, a number of subtle details are not captured by prints made from the daguerreotype, but are clearly visible under loop magnification of the actual daguerreotype. (A characteristic of daguerreotypes is of significance here. The surface of a daguerreotype is covered with a thin film of a mercury/silver amalgram that affects light refraction. This gives the viewer a sense of depth; but when the daguerreotype is photographically reproduced, the image in the resulting print loses detail and seems to flatten out.)

In the Kaplan daguerreotype, the hair appears to be dark and thick. The style is identical to that worn by Lincoln in his early and late portraits. There is a characteristic "tuft" on the right, above the ear. The top of the left ear is totally covered by hair that is purposely combed forward, as it is in many Lincoln photographs. The forehead is high and broad, and the hairline in the left temporal region is also identical to those in later photographs. The skin here appears to be rough, with numerous discontinuous lines that suggest the advent of heavy wrinkles.

The glabellar region (between the eyebrows, above the nose) appears to be free of hair. There are two discrete ascending and oblique shadows that anticipate the older Lincoln's frown lines.

The eyebrows are heavy and have two different hair patterns, similar to the eyebrows in the later photographs of Lincoln. The medial (inner) portion is dark and linear whereas the lateral (outer) half is more bushy. The left eyebrow, the one fully seen, extends over the entire length of the superior orbital rim.

To round out this discussion of the forehead features in the Kaplan daguerreotype, let me present another "similarity." As mentioned earlier the neurologist, Dr. Kempf, found evidence of a depressed skull fracture in the Lincoln life mask. Visual evidence of that injury is absent in the Kaplan, nor is it to be found in any other known Lincoln photographic image.

The gentleman in the Kaplan has a rare condition, bilateral ptosis {24, 25}(drooping eyelids), evident in many photographs of Lincoln. Two other findings are characteristic: the lateral extension of the free border of the upper lid beyond the outer corner of the eye (lateral commissure), and the well-defined upper and lower superficial heads of the medial canthal tendon, which attaches the inner corner of the eye commissure {26}. The upper segment is easily seen in all Lincoln portraits, whereas the lower branch is only occasionally seen because of shadows or poor photographic depth-of-field. Photographic representation of these features are rarely seen in pictures of individuals, but are seen in known Lincoln portraits and in the Kaplan image.

There is a phenomenon known as Hirschberg's test of corneal light reflex, a white dot seen in both eyes that reflects the prime source of illumination. Usually, the dots are located in the same spot in both eyes (with regard to the iris, or "black of the eye.") However, in the Kaplan, and in the other Lincoln images, this is not true. The left eye's gaze is in fact slightly more lateral, placing the dot in that eye toward the inside.

The region under the left eye is marked by two dark spots, the upper one of which is found in several of the Lincoln portraits.

A few of Lincoln's contemporaries recorded their observations of the deep-set nature of Lincoln's eyes. This is a characteristic of his photographic images, as well as the Kaplan.

The left malar (cheekbone) prominence is well-outlined and delineated by a shadow that descends onto the cheek and turns inward toward the labial commissure (corner of mouth). This would suggest the heavy bone structure typical of a massive physique such as Lincoln's. The nose is long, broad, and well-defined. The nasal bridge is wide. Although a shadow on the right side of the nose gives the impression that the dorsum is humped, close examination of the daguerreotype shows that the nose is, in reality, only slightly bossed. The nares are delicate and well-defined. The alar cartilage (the cartilage supporting the nostrils) do not appear to be over-sized. The skin appears to have a fine quality. Naturally, this is not true in later Lincoln portraits, where the skin appears to be heavier due to wrinkling, a result of the aging process.

In the Kaplan, the columella (the skin between the nostrils) is rather broad, and the collumellar-labial angle (the angle it makes with the upper lip) appears to be close to 90 degrees; both of these features are seen in the later Lincoln images.

The philtral columns (the edges of the vertical groove in the upper lip) are well-marked, almost parallel, and extend to the base of the nose. The Cupid's bow (the mid-segment of the upper lip) is delicately formed and harmonious. The vermilion (the red area of the lip) is rather narrow at the lateral aspect of the lip and seems to end short of the commissure (the corner of the mouth), presenting a crease. The crease is a wrinkle that is seen directed downward; both of these characteristics are life-long and are seen in later Lincoln images.

The shadow of the left naso-labial crease (one of the two creases that "calipers" down from the nose to frame the upper lip) extends from the superior aspect of the nares to the modiolus. (The modiolus is a point outside and slightly above the corner of the mouth where several muscles join.) In some people this point would be marked by a dimple, but in Lincoln, it is seen as a vertical crease. The modiolus is not seen on the left side of the Kaplan face, but is clearly seen on the right.

A faint circular shadow appears at the lower portion of the middle third of the right nasolabial crease, which is the precise location of Lincoln's characteristic nevus (prominent right mole) seen in later Lincoln images. There is also a highlight, or faint shadow, more to the middle and below the nevus shadow, at the vermilion border (the line demarcating the red and white portions of the lip) that probably is another mole, corresponding to a similar skin lesion in several Lincoln photographs.

Dr. Kempf also observed, "Further examination of the face shows that the left half of the upper lip is somewhat thicker than the right.", an unusual feature which is also evident in the Kaplan image.

The lower lip is full and appears to protrude beyond the free margin of the upper lip throughout. This appears to be more significant laterally (at the ends). There is a blemish under the left commissure that is not found in other Lincoln pictures, and could be a 'cold sore' Lincoln had at the time the daguerreotype was made. There is an ascending crease line at about 70 degrees on the lower left lip of the man in the Kaplan, identical to that of later images of Lincoln.

The prominent chin begins with a distinctive horizontal, midline shadow that demarcates it from the pouting lower lip. The chin appears asymmetrical. A short vertical crease is off-center, and turns to the subject's left distally (as it moves down). The left half of the chin appears smaller than the right. This peculiarity as well as the whole face's (deformed) morphological curve (exactingly described by Dr. Kempf) is more obvious when the image is viewed upside down. The jawline (mandible) is well-defined and broad. The mandibular (lower jaw) angle is sharp. As the ramus of the mandible turns upward toward the ear, it (the height of the jawbone) appears to be shorter in a Kaplan daguerreotype print than in Lincoln photographs; however, in the actual Kaplan daguerreotype, it is the same.

The ears appear to be prominent, especially at the superior pole. Along the free margin (the running edge, or border) of the concha (the shell-like opening of the ear), the anti-helical fold is well-defined, but its upper segment is absent. (The anti-helical fold is the bend in the wings of the ears that runs from the concha to the superior pole, molding the ear so that it conforms to the shape of the head.) Especially noteworthy is a discrete Darwinian tubercle on the edge of the scapha (the area behind the concha that leads up to the helix, or curved-over rim of upper ear){see Meserve #1 and Mellon #s 5, 6, 8, 11, 22, 26, and 29 for other examples}. The ear lobule hangs free and is close to the neck.

There are two dissimilar points of reference, one of which concerns the angle the ear lobe forms with the neck. The angle is very small in the Kaplan but more open in all other Lincoln pictures. This is because of differences in body weight. The Kaplan Lincoln has a rounder face whereas the Meserve #1 and all other Lincoln pictures show a much thinner man with sunken cheeks. Using a laser copier, I artificially "aged" the Kaplan subject by darkening shadows. In this manner, I was able, visually, to "detach" the ear lobe from the neck, which made it identical to the other Lincoln likenesses. The other proportions of the ear are very similar: the antitragus (the small protuberance aft and below the larger tragus), shape of the lobe, posterior sulcus (lower portion of the opening of the ear), and the scapha.

Another concerns the height of the ascending branch of the mandible (where the jawbone turns upward). In prints of the Kaplan, the branch seems to be too short when compared with known Lincoln images. However, examination of the actual daguerreotype clearly shows that the up-turned collar is above the jaw, and is bent out and down. The collar is not under the mandible as it appears in prints made from the daguerreotype. The exact length of the jaw is outlined by a faint horizontal shadow that cannot be seen in the prints. The ascending branch of the mandible is actually longer than shown in the prints, and matches Lincoln's skeletal structure.

Abraham Lincoln was known to be extremely strong. The Kaplan daguerreotype shows a robust, barrel-chested, erect young man. The outline of the trapezius muscle (between the neck and shoulder) is evidence of a muscular build.

Lincoln experienced a radical weight loss in January, 1841. Mr. Volk, the maker of the Lincoln life mask, recalls that Lincoln said that he had again lost 40 pounds between 1858 and 1861 {11}.

The style of dress worn by the Kaplan subject is essentially identical to that which Lincoln kept during his entire life {4, 27, 28, 29}. The suitcoat worn by the Kaplan subject is so similar to the one Abraham Lincoln wears in the 1848 Meserve #1, it could be the very same suitcoat judging by the way the lapels, creases on a lapel, seams, and button holes match in both daguerreotypes.

Careful study of all Lincoln pictures clearly shows that he presented ptosis of both eyes. This condition also exists in the Kaplan. In the Kaplan, the left eye is slightly more ptotic than the right. A chronological study of Lincoln photographs reveals that ptosis appears to become more severe in the left eye later in life. The birth defect, congenital ptosis, existed in both of Lincoln's eyes from the beginning, but in its early stages, was probably not severe. His head injury contributed to an aggravation of the condition in the left eye. As time passed, aging, eyestrain, and a number of other factors amplified the ptotic condition in both eyes, manifesting itself increasingly in the more affected left eye {30}.

As Lincoln aged, his skin relaxed and forehead wrinkles became more pronounced. Vision in his left eye gradually became impaired. He inevitably developed the reflex of raising his left brow to relieve strain. This was described in a letter by Lincoln's law partner, William Herndon, as well as in photographs and observed by Kempf in the Volk life mask {11, 22, 23}.

Although the extent of his boyhood head injury may only be speculated on, it is probable that, in addition to the depressed skull fracture resulting from the fronto-temporal (forehead, close to the temple) trauma, he may have sustained a left orbital blow-out fracture {31, 32} (a fracture to the floor of the eye socket) and perhaps a superior orbital fissure syndrome {33}(paralysis of several voluntary and involuntary nerves to the eye), altering the position of the eye in its socket, and causing damage to the motor nerves in that region. These injuries would identify the source of all of Lincoln's post-natal eye problems.

In search of another viewpoint, I turned to the French police. Fortunately I was able to meet and work with authorities of the Identite Judiciaire, where I examined Alphonse Bertillon's original early 1890's publications that deal with criminal identity utilizing photographs {34, 35}. His system was the first scientific method of criminal identification {36}. Numerous celebrated crimes were solved using his classification of facial characteristics and anthropometrics. (Although a highly effective criminal identity technique, it was relegated to the background when the same M. Bertillon introduced fingerprint identification in France.)

Bertillon attached a great deal of importance to the structure of the ear, and also to that of the upper eyelid, having determined that these two features never changed during an individual's lifetime.

The police authorities involved in the study all agreed that the visible ear structure and upper eyelid in the Kaplan were identical to those in the Lincoln photographs {37}.

The police also prepared several reproductions of the Kaplan image on a succession of sheets of translucent paper, gradually accentuating shadows from one to the next in order to artificially produce images which suggest the effects of age and weight loss. They then made translucencies of known Lincoln images. Careful comparisons of the facial structures of the different images were made by superimposing the translucencies and examining them over a light source. The police concluded that the facial structure of the Kaplan image and the known Lincoln were the same.

Interestingly, they also noticed that the position of Lincoln's left eyebrow was higher in the later pictures than in the Kaplan image; not knowing of the childhood head injury Lincoln suffered that affected his left eye, they unwittingly observed Lincoln's progressive eye problem.

The substantial number of identical characteristics of the young man of the Kaplan daguerreotype and those of Abraham Lincoln include,

identical horizontal and vertical facial bone structure;

identical soft tissue landmarks including the appearance and implantation of the hair, the height of the forehead, the robust nose, the well marked philtral columns of the upper lip, the pouting lower lip, and the shape of the ear with its free-hanging, detached lobe;

identical congenital anomalies including his rare bilateral ptosis, and prominent ears;

identical acquired facial sequellae of his childhood head trauma which includes exophoria of the left eye. Other trauma-induced manifestations are described by Dr. Kempf: �The right side of the chin is larger than the left �.�, and �The left half of the upper lip is somewhat thicker than the right �.�, and �His cheek bones were unusually high and prominent. The right was larger than the left, and the right orbital ridge and lower jaw were more heavily developed than the left, giving the whole face a decided morphological curve toward the right. This deformation becomes distinctly visible when the full face photographs are turned upside down."

Accordingly, I conclude that the Abraham Lincoln of the early 1840s is, without the possibility of error, the very man of the Kaplan daguerreotype.

Claude N. Frechette, M.D., is a native of Lewiston, Maine. He received his education and medical training in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Since 1987, he has been affiliated with the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly, France, as well as a number of French public hospitals in and around Paris.

Albert Kaplan is a native of Gouverneur, New York, and has been a stockbroker for 42 years. He is chairman of Albert Kaplan & Co.