There are countless historical figures that we read about in school but never got a chance to see what they looked like. From the earliest presidents who served the United States to those abolitionists who stood for nothing but the truth or even the famous semi-mythical figure, John Appleseed (real name John Chapman), we know of their names existing on paper. The reality is that if we got a chance to see them in the flesh, it would change so much for kids and adults alike. Since the 1820s, photography has been in play and different forms, and it is pretty interesting to know that there are human records of photographs that date back as far as two centuries. Just imagine, photographic history that exists before electricity was formed, women’s suffrage was tackled, or even before modern industries existed. After going through this list, you will be surprised to know most of these figures were captured on camera…both famous and infamous. Let us know at the end which one gives you a different outlook on what you learned in history class.
President Abraham Lincoln – 1846
Abraham Lincoln could be considered one of the most influential and celebrated men in American history after the many works. Lincoln, who was born in 1809 and died in 1865, was influential because while he was elected president during one of the hardest periods in American history, he worked his way to abolishing slavery and bringing stability to the country. The Library of Congress noted that this daguerreotype is one of Lincoln’s first picture-records at 37. When this picture was taken, he was a frontier lawyer in Springfield and one of the few elected congressmen from Illinois. Based on the information given by Gibson W. Harris, a law student who served in Lincoln’s office, it is believed this photo was taken by Nicholas H. Shepherd between 1845 and 1847.
President Abraham Lincoln
President Andrew Jackson (c. 1844 -1845)
Andrew Jackson was born to a low-income family in 1767 but didn’t let that determine who he would be in the years that followed. After much hard work and determination, Jackson became a war hero, lawyer, and elected president of the United States of America. He classified himself as a “people-person” but based on some of those people who had to work directly and indirectly with him, they categorized him as an oppressor.History has his treatment of Native Americans to be awful and disgraceful. During the early days, the Cherokee were granted a piece of land by the US Supreme Court but were challenged by Georgia. When they reached out to Jackson to help them, he simply “turned his head away” and never listened to their plight. Instead, his neglect led to what is known as the Trail of Tears, a period where thousands of Cherokee were killed. Records have it that this photo was taken by Edward Anthony between 1844 and 1845 and was produced by the Matthew Brady Studio.
President Andrew Jackson
