Portrait of Abraham Lincoln. (Photo: PHOTOGRAPHER/AUTHOR'S NAME via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
For nearly 90 years, a damaged glass plate negative concealed a remarkable piece of American history. Cataloged as a crowd scene, the photograph showed spectators gathered around a platform in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 1952, archivist Josephine Cobb enlarged the image and discovered Abraham Lincoln standing among the crowd. The photograph captured the president at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery on November 19, 1863, the same day he delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Cobb joined the U.S. National Archives in 1936. Her work focused on historical photographs, including Civil War images. When she examined the glass plate, she suspected it might depict the Gettysburg ceremony. A tall flag helped her locate the speakers’ platform. She then enlarged that section to examine the figures more closely.
The result revealed a small, bare-headed man with a beard and a distinctive profile. Cobb identified him as Lincoln. She also recognized Ward Hill Lamon, the president’s bodyguard and the ceremony’s chief marshal, along with Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin. Other figures have been proposed as members of Lincoln’s party, though some identifications remain disputed.
The photograph belonged to a collection associated with Civil War photographer Mathew Brady. The U.S. government purchased Brady’s photographic collection in the 1870s, and the material eventually entered the National Archives. However, the photographer who took this particular image remains unknown. The glass plate had also lost roughly a quarter of its upper-left corner, further complicating its examination.
Cobb estimated that the photograph was taken around noon, when Lincoln arrived at the platform. His famous address came approximately three hours later. The image does not capture the speech itself. Instead, it offers a rare glimpse of Lincoln at the ceremony before he delivered one of the most enduring speeches in American history.
The discovery became public on February 12, 1953, Lincoln’s birthday. The Gettysburg Times reported the finding, and Life magazine later published the image. Early coverage approached the identification cautiously because the figure’s face was blurred. Lincoln occupies only a small portion of the original photograph, making historical context essential to the identification.
Cobb’s discovery reflected years of experience examining archival images. Her work illustrates why historical photographs deserve more than a cursory glance. A vague catalog entry had obscured the significance of the Gettysburg image for decades. By questioning its description and carefully examining the evidence, Cobb brought a long-overlooked piece of history into view.
In 1952, National Archives archivist Josephine Cobb enlarged a damaged glass plate negative and discovered Abraham Lincoln in a crowd at Gettysburg.
A modern enlargement printed from the original glass plate, held by the Library of Congress and shown in its American Treasures exhibit. Lincoln is the hatless, bearded figure just left of center; the Library lists John Hay, John Nicolay, Edward Everett and Gettysburg attorney David Wills among the surrounding figures scholars have argued over. Photographer attributions vary from unidentified to Mathew Brady to David Bachrach. (Photo: Library of Congress, Public domain)
The photograph captures Lincoln at the November 19, 1863, cemetery dedication, hours before he delivered the Gettysburg Address.
Crowd of citizens, soldiers, and etc. with Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg. (Photo: National Archives Catalog, Public domain)
Mislabeled for nearly 90 years, the photograph was identified through Cobb’s research and careful examination of the original glass plate.
Cobb in the Still Picture stacks, holding a Brady photograph of the 20th Maine Infantry Regiment, with Brady portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin on the shelf behind her. The Archives caption on the print calls her Archivist in Charge of the Still Picture Branch. (Photo: National Archives Catalog, Public domain)
Source: A National Archives Archivist Enlarged a Mislabeled Glass Plate in 1952 and Found Lincoln at Gettysburg
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