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Document 174807

LINCOLN'S DEATH IN CARTE de VISITES
Two vintage images that helped make Lincoln a martyr and an American folk-hero.
Comprises: (1) Deathbed of Lincoln. Sepia, 4x2½ overall, 3¼x2¼ image (two surfaces). A photographic variant of the painting by John H. Littlefield, who was once a law student in Lincoln's office. In his actual painting, he used photographs as models for the twenty-five people gathered in the death room, but his profile of Lincoln was based on his first-hand acquaintance. Littlefield copyrighted the painting in 1866 and had it published in photographic enlargements by Washington photographer John Goldin. The carte de visite offered here was published between 1866-1869. It is a "pirated" copy of Littlefield and Goldin's creation. This photograph, published within this historic period, was intended for parlor albums of the day, and has no photographer's imprint. This particular image is a variant of the original, intended to get around copyright infringements. "Pirating" was a practice done by many legitimate photographers (including Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner) in order to get around copyright infringement of another photographer's work. There were two forms of pirating: 1) Reproducing a copy negative of another's work and publishing it without a printed credit to the original photographer or to the photographer doing the reproducing. 2) Altering a copy negative in some way and publishing it with or without a photographer's imprint, without crediting the original photographer. This carte de visite conforms to the second scenario of pirating. Slightly soiled, fine condition. (2) Apotheosis of Washington & Lincoln. Sepia, 2½x4 overall, 2x3 image (two surfaces). A pirated print, published by Joseph Ward of Boston (rubber stamp imprint on verso) between 1869 and 1871. This image was one of ten carte de visite views created from composites of paintings and photographs depicting Washington welcoming Lincoln to Heaven. Scarcely a parlor album in the U.S. was without such a memento. Ward was a publisher known for reproducing prints not from an original negative. This image conforms to the second definition of pirating as previously explained. Slightly foxed, pinhead-size hole at blank right margin. Overall, fine condition. Two items.

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