We have heard about certain historical figures since we were little. Just about every single person who went through the American educational system knows about presidents, abolitionists, and even iconic people like Annie Oakley and Johnny Appleseed. But we do not really give them a lot of thought since they are just names on a page to most of us. A photograph tends to leave a more striking impression! You might not know this, but photography has been in existence since the 1820s. Can you believe that our photographic documentation goes back to almost two centuries? In those days, there were no modernization, women’s suffrage, and electric lights just yet. We bet that you did not expect that the following famous people had photos of them taken! If you ask us, learning history would have been easier and more fun if our teachers showed these to us in the classroom.
President Abraham Lincoln (c. 1846)
Many people would agree with us when we say that Abraham Lincoln might just be the most celebrated American historical figure. He became the President of the United States during a particularly difficult time. This meant that he presided during the reunification and abolishment of slavery. The Library of Congress had this to say about the photo: “This daguerreotype is the earliest-known photograph of Abraham Lincoln, taken at age 37 when he was a frontier lawyer in Springfield and Congressman-elect from Illinois.” It is said to have been shot by Nicholas H. Shepherd, “based on the recollections of Gibson W. Harris, a law student in Lincoln’s office from 1845 to 1847.”
President Abraham Lincoln (c. 1846)
President Andrew Jackson (c. 1844-1845)
Was there a figure in American history more controversial than Andrew Jackson? We doubt it. He came from a poor family and made a name for himself as a war hero, lawyer, and then President of the United States. He claimed to be a man of the people, although his critics said that he was a tyrant. He treated Native Americans horribly and ignored the way Georgia seized land that the Supreme Court granted the Cherokee. In the end, it resulted in the Trail of Tears and the death of thousands of indigenous people. The daguerreotype below is said to have been shot by Edward Anthony in either 1844 or 1845.
President Andrew Jackson (c. 1844 1845)
