Abraham Lincoln Photo

I have a photo of Abraham Lincoln on battle-field of Antietam, October, 1862. While it is not an original, it is a 2nd generation. Does that make it any more valuable than say a 100th generation in today’s digital world? It is a lessor known photo by Gardner taken at McClellan’s camp in Oct. 1862. (Though the back states it was Oct. 2nd, other sources say Oct, 3rd.). The back states that this is a “photograph copy” of the original albumin print in the possession of Mrs. Lucy Orme Morgan of Bloomington, Illinois, the daughter of General William W. Orme a many years intimate friend of Mr. Lincoln. It is approx. 5x7 inches in an old card frame labeled “United Photo Shop, Bloomington, Ill.” I obtained this photo while living near Bloomington 15-20 years ago from a friend ... he told me it was a family piece. The basic question is ... at what generation of a photo is it merely decorative? Have I reached it at 2nd?

 

There are a few vintage photo collector/experts here, so best to wait for them to chime in..... @Figtree3, @Mill Cove Treasures, @cxgirl and any others????

 

great photo..

 

While it is not the original, being able to trace it to the original and to specific persons associated with the image do count. I would be very happy to hang it on my wall.

James.

 

Not sure, but think there are a lot of Civil War photo collectors out there. I suppose it has some value, but the main worth would be in the eye of the beholder. I would recommend seeing if you can find comparables. This is not quite the same as a reprint, but is similar in concept. I see photographic copies of photos (photographs of photographs, or photograph copies as yours puts it) being sold on eBay, but often they are not identified as such. Or at least they are not considered reprints, because that term implies a different kind of reproduction.

Anyway, to answer your question -- I don't think it is merely decorative, but of course is a lot less valuable than an original photo printed by Gardner, or taken from his negative, would be.

 

I dont know how to value photos like this, but anything Civil War seems to sell; and i'd feel safe saying that photo would sell for more than a modern repro. Very nice piece!