Relics

[Steve]

(03-28-2018 05:48 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(03-27-2018 08:20 PM)Dennis Urban Wrote:  The Ulke brothers, Henry and Julius, who were boarding at the Petersen House actually took two deathbed images. When viewing the two images, the chair at the head of the bed is moved somewhat; enough to easily see the differences in the photos. The bloody pillow may also have been moved a slight bit. Look for the bedpost above the pillow in each image. The angle is also slightly different. One can google "Ulke Lincoln deathbed photos" and they will come up side by side. The comparison is interesting. While Julius is generally credited with taking the images, it was Henry who continued in the well into 1866 and perhaps beyond. He maintained a studio at 278 Pennsylvania Avenue. The backmark only contains Henry's full name and not that of Julius. I do not know their history but I suspect Julius may have been out of the business by that time.

Thanks, Dennis. In the Wikipedia article on Henry Ulke it says, "His New York Times obituary says, "Henry Ulke, whose portraits of Presidents and Cabinet Ministers at Washington gained for him the soubriquet of 'Painter of Presidents,' died ... as the result of a fall at his home... He was 89 years old. Mr. Ulke was a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln, and at the time of the assassination the dying President was carried into the famous Tenth Street house, where he was boarding."

Personally, I have not read that Lincoln and Ulke ever met, let alone were friends.

Has anyone read that Lincoln and Ulke were friends?

Perhaps the obituary writer was thinking of Robert Todd Lincoln. The Ulkes took several photographs of members of his family while they were in Washington that were preserved in the Lincoln Family Album:

Mamie:

https://www.lincolncollection.org/search...agesize=48

and

https://www.lincolncollection.org/search...agesize=48

Robert:

https://www.lincolncollection.org/search...item=44263

Photographs of reliefs of Robert Todd Lincoln and Mary Harlan Lincoln:

https://www.lincolncollection.org/search...item=49762

and

https://www.lincolncollection.org/search...item=56382

The Ulkes also took pictures of other members of the Harlan family as you can see in this article about a photo of William Harlan being mistaken for Tad Lincoln:

http://lincolncollection.tumblr.com/post...n-identity