Lincoln - new early photo! Fascinating for history buffs!

[Bonobo]

I just stumbled on this website and found it so fascinating that I wanted to share.

http://www.lincolnportrait.com/

It shows a stunningly different Lincoln in his early 30's. He is strong and handsome with little trace of his well-know gaunt, craggy appearance. As a result, there seems to be some question as to whether or not this is even Lincoln at all. The site provides an almost Zapruderlike analysis of the photo. Really interesting.

[slinkerwink]

1. that is amazing!

[Wickerman]

2. Interesting that he had a serious head injury

and that is used as a marker for ID - must have been truly substantial. Amazing he did as well as he did with an injury so severe.

[tigereye]

3. thanks that was interesting

[Bonobo]

4. Also interesting are his reports of nearly inhuman strength.

When you see this picture, you can believe it.

Does anyone know how tall he was?

[htuttle]

5. He was 24 feet tall, and had a huge blue ox

Whoops, wrong ax-wielding midwesterner!

An article called 'The Physical Lincoln' linked off the above site said that he was 6 ft 4 in tall, and weighed in at 214 lbs.

[Bonobo]

7. Ummm.... I think that was Pecos Bill.

[Greyskye]

22. Nope - Paul Bunyon and his blue ox 'Babe'

[Bonobo]

13. One more round perhaps...

I hope you all don't mind me kicking my own thread. I just want to see if there are any after workers who wanted to see....

[maggrwaggr]

27. Lincoln had Morphan's Syndrome

which he shares with Osama Bin Laden and my mother!

People with this syndrome are very tall and angular, they often have a heart murmur, they have an extremely high roof of their mouths, they often have a certain dislocated rib, and their "wingspan" is longer than their height (in most people it's the same).

I know about this because my mother had it and while she was in the hospital before she died, the doctors would bring around interns just to look her over as a perfect Morphan's Syndrome specimen.

There are some other traits to this as well that I can't remember right now.

[tigereye]

40. I think it is Marfants syndrome but I could be wrong

A lot of folks like Jay Leno and Conan look like they have it, too. Lantern jaw, etc. There seem to be many well known people with this syndrome

[maggrwaggr]

41. uh, I think you're right. I suspected I was spelling it wrong

but hey, it was late. :)

[Muddleoftheroad]

6. This is interesting

But I don't think it is him.

[Bonobo]

8. Really? I was pretty convinced...

What's your thinkin' on it?

[Muddleoftheroad]

10. I've worked a lot with photos

I find that features (like the lines in the face) are usually at least a tiny bit evident early. I also have read a lot on Abe and he grew real fast and always was described as strong but lean. That is not the face of a lean man.

[Bonobo]

12. Re-read the part where it talks about his rapid weight loss after a

difficult emotional period.

And then please give me your opinion again.

Thanks.

[Muddleoftheroad]

14. I read it

I still recall ALL of my readings as describing him as lean, early and later on.

But no matter what, it's pretty cool.

[Lorien]

9. Hmmm...he doesn't look that different

yes, his skin is smoother and he has less hair-but I sure wouldn't call him handsome! I don't see how there could be any debate about whether or not it's the same guy; the eye droop is the same, the eyebrows show the same odd growth patterns, mouth, etc. Interesting stuff, though.

[pacifictiger]

11. at first glance

the face certainly looks like him, but look at the ear shape, it isn't even close, so my vote is no, it is not him. When you get a passport photo your head must be tilted to the side to include your ear - they say ears are something like fingerprints - rarely two alike.

[Bucky]

19. The ears are identical in shape, size, & positioning. Only contours differ

Lookie:

In the youthful picture the potato chip-sized ear has a deeper groove, but the 1862 photo is blurry at the ear, but looks similar.

Lots of people's ears become puffy, or cauliflowered, as they age. I've heard it called "boxers' ears," but I don't know the real cause.

[maggrwaggr]

25. the ears and the nose continue to grow throughout life

thus old men often have big ol' ears and hook noses.

Like my grandpa, for one!

[JPace]

34. Very interesting....

If you look at the young mans ear lobe
and how it almost parallels the mouth
in alignment. Then look at the older
mans ear and how it aligns with the
ending of the nose. I think it is unlikely
that a growing ear (ears and noses continue
to grow throughout life) would rise in
alignment over time. Still the photos
are fascinating. I would like to think
that Lincoln was at one time handsome.

[mlawson]

15. Hmm. If this was in1848, then he was 39.

That is a young-looking man for 39 in mid 19th Century. Most 39 year olds back then would look like 50 or 60 now. I suspect that was taken prior to 1848. Is it Lincoln??? I dunno.

[BigBigBear]

17. I thought it said

that the Daguerrotype was from 1840-42.

[librechik]

20. It's the Meserve portrait (linked in the article that is 1848 n/t

[BigBigBear]

16. I certainly respect the forensic science

that went into that analysis, but it sure doesn't look like him.

[tabasco]

18. We need a great leader like Lincoln to come forward.

Help us bring this country together again. Thanks for the link. I am a big admirer.

[DemLikr]

39. Lincoln would never make it past the first primary in this insane age

The SCLM would have a field day with his cranial injury, his lack of photogenic qualities, and his earlier and continuing emotional and psychic struggles.

Never mind that those struggles were a clear side effect of Abe's boundless intellect and determination to sort out and DO the right thing.

Oh no; true geniuses and leaders with great quirks to match their outsize powers of inspiration and vision are no longer allowed.

(Never forget that GWB stumbling onto a pile of debris and stuttering into a bullhorn at Ground Zero is still touted by the Whores as a moment of great post 9-11 "Heroism.")

Only tasteless white bread and vanilla pablum are now served at the dining table of contemporary American politics (Note the crucifixion of Howard Dean, including by many on this board, after his completely human "scream" speech). Abraham Lincoln, as beautiful in spirt as he was craggy in appearance, would be far too tasty a dish for 2004.

All that said, it sure can't hurt John Kerry that he bears a resemblance to Abe.

[Pithlet]

21. I'm not sure it's him, either.

It's a fascinating site. The person looks very much like him. But, the nose looks different. I know people's noses change somewhat as they age, but the younger man's nose is slightly longer and has a more prominent bridge. All the other facial features are very similar, though. Great site; thanks for posting.

[Greyskye]

23. For everyone who doesn't think it's him...

...did you look at the evidence presented on this page?
http://www.lincolnportrait.com/authenti.htm

Personally, I think it's him. Very cool.

[maggrwaggr]

24. I don't think it's him.

Check this out:



and compare it.

The cheekbones aren't quite right, nor is the nose. The chin is similar, but not quite the same. And then there are the eyelids.

Also on this picture, it shows the cleft of the chin to be right under the middle of the mouth, and on the portrait in question it's offset. Plus, the chin just isn't as large.

Very intriguing, tho.

[Dr Fate]

26. Let's put them beside each other and have a look...

I'm no expert, but I know which photo looks like Lincoln- Could the older one be before his ilness set in?

[maggrwaggr]

28. To me, the chin, nose, and eyes just aren't the same

there are striking similarities, but I feel like I'm looking at cousins or perhaps brothers rather than the same guy.

Did Lincoln have a brother? Bubba Lincoln? Jimmy Lincoln? Neil Lincoln?

[Bonobo]

30. This reminds me so much of the JFK conspiracy debate:

For those who didn't read the whole site, Lincoln lost 40 lbs in a short span, went through an emotional crisis and was kicked in the head by a horse and nearly killed, siffering a major trauma to the skull.
Also interesting to note is: How does one reconcile the reports of Lincoln's great physical strength with the famously rail-thin Lincoln we see in the famouse portraits.

[BigBigBear]

37. I read it

He was kicked in the head when he was ten, well before either of the photos.

[Cooley Hurd]

29. The bottom one was taken in 1846...

..and there's a matching pic of Mary taken at the same time.

That said, the top picture isn't Lincoln...

[Lars39]

31. Here's what I noticed:

from the bottom of the left ear to the jaw is a vastly different length between the two gentlemen.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

32. looks like it could very well be abe to me...even the hair growth pattern

[JPace]

35. Yes this does look closer to the truth,

it looks like a young Abe Lincoln. Still
it is fascinating how the picture in
question resembles Abe so much....but
alas not everyone can be good looking
even for a part of their lives. Abe had
a beautiful soul and that is why he
is still loved today, it is so much more
valuable than outward beauty.

[Aristus]

33. Doesn't look a thing like him.

Distinguished-looking gentleman, all the same.

[Drifter]

36. Stunningly Different Lincoln ...

because it is not Lincoln.

A Zapruder like analysis of the photo is not necessary. A layman (such as myself) can see that it is not Lincoln.

Look at the nose, look at the ear. That ain't Lincoln.

I think this was exposed a while ago (before the internet was popular). I remember reading about this photograph (could have been late 80's, early 90's).

Cheers
Drifter

[freespeechhere]

38. Another Fascination for History Buffs -- Lewis and Clark

Don't know if this deserves a new thread somewhere else, but here's an interesting little morsel...

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- When a breathless Castle McLaughlin called last week to say she had found "the necklace," Gaylord Torrence knew exactly what she was referring to: the so-called grizzly bear claw necklace, acquired by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their fabled exploration of the American West.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4335102.html

[BiggJawn]

42. Amazing! Thanks for the link.

Wonder what he'd been like if he hadn't been kicked by a horse?