White clothing in summer?

[ELCore]

I chose the May 7, 1858, photo to use as the Facebook Profile Picture on Real Lincoln Quotes. I found the cropped head shot on-line somewhere; I scanned the full image from the Kunhardts' Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography because I could not find a good-quality image on the Internet.



This is my description of the photo on Facebook: "This portrait is unmistakably Abraham Lincoln, yet it is an atypical photo of him. First, it is the only known studio portrait in which he is wearing a white suit. Second, he is clean-shaven, which shows up the strong jawline of his angular face. (This photo was taken a couple of years before he grew his beard.) Third, it is easy to see that his neck was long and narrow; after becoming president, he usually wore a high collar to try to hide his neck. Fourth, one can easily see the wrinkles, creases, and furrows in his skin: this is a real man, aged 49 years, not just a figure of legend. Fifth, his very high hairline and large ears are quite noticeable. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, one can clearly see the piercing quality of his gaze -- his eyes lively, deep pools of tranquility even in black and white (they were actually light grayish/bluish). No wonder he has been so difficult to describe, so ineffable to fathom."



I note the following on Facebook: "According to the photographer (who was only 18 years old at the time he took this photograph), Lincoln had said, 'These clothes are dirty and unfit for a picture', but Byers prevailed upon him anyway."

I think everybody and anybody should be able to see the photos here; if not, because of Facebook's security, let me know & I'll find another way to post them.