Portrait of Daniel French, Washington DC

In 1944 the D.C. Public Library purchased over 1800 lanternslides and glass plate negatives from E.B. Thompson for $1,000. Mr. Thompson was a photographer who in 1904 opened a store that sold “steropticon supplies, cameras, lantern slides,” and other photographic equipment at 1343 F St., NW. His camera shop moved numerous times in forty years, ending up finally at 1744 Columbia Road, N.W. In 1944, his business letterhead advertised his store as selling “Sound and Silent Motion Pictures and Slides”.He offered to sell his collection of images of Washington, DC to the DC Public Library as he prepared to retire from full time work after a long illness in 1944. Starting in 1946 the DC Public Library contracted with the Library of Congress to create 8x10 black and white prints on mounts from his collection of slides and negatives. The prints are now part of the Washington, DC Historical Image Collection in the Washingtoniana Division. The collection’s strengths are in its images of federal buildings, the Arlington National Cemetery, federal memorials, national parades, historic houses, and street scenes.

Since his death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been an iconic American figure depicted in a wide range of media forms including printed materials, sculpture, alternative timelines, animation, documentaries, small cameos, and many fictionalized interpretations. Lincoln's unique physical appearance, including his tall and lanky stature and his distinctive beard, made him a popular subject for portrait artists. Over time, the abundance of portraits of Lincoln has contributed to his iconic status and has helped to ensure that his memory and legacy are preserved. This Abraham Lincoln portraits dataset was generated using media from the world's largest public domain source Picryl.com.