Lincoln's Second Inauguration
March 4, 1865
Medium
albumen print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 16.7 × 22.7 cm (6 9/16 × 8 15/16 in.) mount: 26.8 × 34.8 cm (10 9/16 × 13 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Funds from Ronald M. Costell, M.D. and the Estate of Marsha E. Swiss
Accession Number
2025.44.20
Art Historical Context
Step into the pivotal moment of American history with *Lincoln's Second Inauguration*, albumen print captured by photographer Alexander Gardner on March4, 1865. Gardner, renowned for his stark Civil War documentation after working with Mathew Brady, masterfully recorded President Abraham Lincoln's swearing-in ceremony amid the Capitol's grand portico. This intimate yet expansive view (image 16.7 × 22.7 cm on a larger 26.8 × 34.8 cm mount) a crowd gathered in Washington, D.C., as Lincoln delivered his unforgettable Second Inaugural Address, urging reconciliation with the words, "With malice tow...
About the Artist
Alexander Gardner
Alexander Gardner was born on 17 October 1821 in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, and came of age in a culture shaped by radical social thought. Influenced by the cooperative ideals of Robert Owen, Gardner initially apprenticed as a jeweler and harbored dreams of founding a utopian community in America. His encounter with photography changed the course of his life. After seeing Mathew Brady's cele...