Lincoln Discussion Symposium

AL's hair was exposed to a comb and brush when Mary had anything to say about it. Here is an incident witnessed by a reporter from the "New York Herald" on the train ride en route from Springfield to Washington for Lincoln's Inaugural swearing in:

"...The train stopped; through the windows immense crowds could be seen; the cheering drowned the blowing off steam of the locomotive. Then Mrs. Lincoln opened her hand bag and said:

" 'Abram, I must fix you up a bit for these city folks'.

"Mr. Lincoln gently lifted her upon the seat before him; she parted and combed and brushed his hair and arranged his black necktie.

" 'Do I look nice now, mother?' he affectionately asked.

" 'Well, you'll do Abraham' replied Mrs. Lincoln critically. So he kissed her and lifted her down from the seat, and turned to meet Mayor Wood, courtly and suave, and to have his hand shaken by all the other New York officials".//

quoted from "Lincoln Among His Friends", auth. Rufus Rockwell Wilson pgs #304-305

Thanks, Toia! I wonder if she used Fido's brush, and this brush is now in Gene's possession.

Yesterday I tried to find where he combed his hair with his hands, and I did find what had been in the back of my mind. The incident was when Lincoln was sitting for Alexander Hessler on February 28, 1857. Hessler worked on Lincoln's hair to prepare him for the photo, but Lincoln said folks wouldn't recognize him with his hair looking neat. So Lincoln (as the story in Ostendorf's book goes) proceeded to run his fingers through his hair to prepare for the photo:

Thanks, Toia, that's nice - never heard!

Roger, I just wanted to post exactly this photo and the following (sorry for redundancy) -
My favorite hair trivia:
Lincoln liked this photograph (as do I) taken by Alexander Hesler in 1857, calling it a "very true" likeness of himself, though his wife “and many others” did not agree. His comment: “My impression is that their objection arises from the disordered condition of [my] hair”, and that his judgment was “worth nothing in these matters.”

One story goes the disheveling was Lincoln’s own work, telling the photographer that he feared his friends wouldn't recognize him "without a bad tousle", but George H. Fergus, whose father was a Chicago printer and friend of Lincoln, recalled that he was in Hesler’s gallery when Lincoln entered and asked to have his picture taken. The photographer “looked at him and saw that his hair was plastered down on his forehead. Lincoln had evidently just come from a barber shop, and the barber had probably planned to prepare his patron for the event. But the arrangement of the hair did not please Hessler. He walked up to Lincoln, ran this hand through ‘Abe’s’ hair and mussed it all up. ‘Now you look natural,’ said Hessler.”

When a lithograph of this photo was rushed into print, Lincoln said that newsboys hawking it on city streets cried out: “'Ere’s yer last picter of Old Abe! He’ll look better when he gets his hair combed!”

(Sources in: M. Burlingame's "A Life", vol. I, + D. Donald's "Lincoln")

In Elizabeth Keckley's semi-autobiographical book, she mentions brushing the Presidents hair.

Actually, Abe was just a trend setter, and ahead of his time. He might have had a future in the hair styling business. Some people pay big bucks to have their hair done this way. He was just the innovator of a style called "shabby chic"

http://mopsandtops.com/?p=521

I like his "look" on the photo Roger posted. If I had to chose a favorite Lincoln likeness, it would probably be this one. And yours?

(08-28-2014 07:48 AM)Rsmyth Wrote: [ -> ]In Elizabeth Keckley's semi-autobiographical book, she mentions brushing the Presidents hair.

Thanks, Rich. Possibly that is the brush that Gene bought at the flea market.

However, wouldn't it be worth more if it had both Lincoln's and Fido's hair? Gene, I hope you have it locked away in a safe place (and insured!).

(08-28-2014 07:54 AM)Gene C Wrote: [ -> ]Actually, Abe was just a trend setter, and ahead of his time. He might have had a future in the hair styling business. Some people pay big bucks to have their hair done this way. He was just the innovator of a style called "shabby chic"

http://mopsandtops.com/?p=521

I agree. He'd have fit right in at some heavy metal concert in the 1980's. He was just way ahead of his time!

We have used the photo where he looks like he has a high buzz cut on some advertising for our "cool history." We add sunglasses and ear phones.

I wonder what kind of styling mousse, Abe used? Maybe pine pitch??

(08-28-2014 08:58 PM)L Verge Wrote: [ -> ]We have used the photo where he looks like he has a high buzz cut on some advertising for our "cool history."

Is this the one, Laurie?

That's it...

A high buzz cut or a bad hair day...

(08-28-2014 08:58 PM)L Verge Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder what kind of styling mousse, Abe used? Maybe pine pitch??

He probably used macassar oil. It was popular in the Victorian era for men to use, and it's the stain on the back of the Lincoln rocker at Ford's Theatre. For years the myth was that the stain was Lincon's blood.

(08-29-2014 07:11 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote: [ -> ]A high buzz cut or a bad hair day...

I agree Eva. That's one of my least favorite photos of Old Abe!

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(08-29-2014 09:44 PM)Houmes Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-28-2014 08:58 PM)L Verge Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder what kind of styling mousse, Abe used? Maybe pine pitch??

He probably used macassar oil. It was popular in the Victorian era for men to use, and it's the stain on the back of the Lincoln rocker at Ford's Theatre. For years the myth was that the stain was Lincon's blood.

Dr. Houmes, this is fascinating. I have seen many photos of the back of the famous Lincoln rocker and I indeed always assumed it was AL's bloodstain on the back. But since all reports are that the president's head fell forward with his chin resting on his chest your explanation makes much more sense.

(08-29-2014 09:44 PM)Houmes Wrote: [ -> ]

(08-28-2014 08:58 PM)L Verge Wrote: [ -> ]I wonder what kind of styling mousse, Abe used? Maybe pine pitch??

He probably used macassar oil. It was popular in the Victorian era for men to use, and it's the stain on the back of the Lincoln rocker at Ford's Theatre. For years the myth was that the stain was Lincon's blood.

Was coconut oil known in those areas back then?