Presidental Box Photographs

[Jim Garrett]

(04-25-2015 08:45 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  In volume 10 of Nicolay and Hay's Abraham Lincoln A History on page 296 & 297, there is a drawing of the stage and boxes at Ford's. The caption (which crosses pages) says: "This drawing was made from two photographs by Brady, lent by W. R. Speare of Washington. One of the photographs (of the President's box, on the opposite page), supposed to be the earlier of the two differs from the other photograph (showing the stage and all the boxes) as regards the three silk flags, apparently regimental flags, fixed at the sides and middle column of the box. Joseph B. Sessford at the time the assistant treasurer of the theater, is authority for the statement that the second photograph (presented to Mr. Speare by L. Moxley, who had it from Mr. Sessford) was taken three to four days after the assassination, when none of the decorations, except the regimental flags, had been removed. The portrait between the flags is an engraving of Washington."

This is not the information I remember reading before but does at least give an account of Brady (or at least his studio) as the photographer that is not dependent on the LOC notations.

The reported photo chain is from Sessford (who I would think would know who took the photo) to Moxley to Speare. I would conclude the knowledge of who took the photo would also have been passed along. That is of course nothing more that supposition.

I will keep looking for the other information I came across earlier.

Great job tracking down Sessford's statement. I would agree, I think Sessford to be a pretty reliable source. BTW, Sessford is buried in Congresional. I was there on Friday.