Abraham Lincoln is considered one of this country's greatest presidents and is Illinois' favorite son. He was the first extensively photographed president, and the first for whom the media helped sway an election. This presentation describes some of those photographs. He once described his most frequent photographer, Mathew Brady (1823 – 96), as “the man who put me in the White House.” The photos also say much about Lincoln's body and his health.

In analyzing the known photographs of Lincoln, DePaul University art historian Mark Pohlad, a specialist in photo history, also will describe the nature of the photographic medium and its technical challenges in the mid-nineteenth century as well as Lincoln's complex relationship to the then-new medium of photography.

Mark B. Pohlad, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Art History, DePaul University, Chicago. Dr. Pohlad specializes in American and Modern art, Chicago topics, and Abraham Lincoln. Besides his many publications, he is on the Board of Directors at the Abraham Lincoln Association. He has taught at DePaul University in the Department of History of Art and Architecture since 1992.

His interest in Lincoln became actual when he gave dozens of lectures across the state as a "Road Scholar" for the Illinois Humanities Council. Since then he has given talks (including on C-SPAN) and published on Lincoln as he is depicted in art and photography. He is currently at work on a book about Lincoln in Chicago.

Registration is required. When you register you’ll be sent a link to this program, presented online on Zoom.