Seed Pearl Necklace and Bracelets

[Donna]

First....Thank You, Gene!
Second.....to your OTHER point, Eva. There is, to my knowledge, but 2 other photographs of Mary (I know - I know - “that’s not her!”) that predate this one (Abe & Mary). The daguerreotype from 1846-‘48, and the photo of Mary with sons Willie and Tad taken in late 1860. Have you seen the photo of Mary and the boys? I suppose that’s rhetorical in nature. I’m sure you have. Look at Mary. Look at the two small children beside her. Then tell me with with a straight face that she’s this huuuge woman that the historical record (written primarily be men with an axe to grind toward Mary) would lead us to believe. Because that’s the only photographic evidence you have for comparison sake. ONE. It’s number two in chronological order for her photos but the earlier dag is out of play for obvious reasons. I believe the word ‘tiny’ is used frequently as an adjective when describing Mary. The Kunhardts, who inherited the Frederick Meserve collection of Lincoln related photos and material, used that word in their book....Lincoln - An Illustrated Biography.....to describe Mary. I would think they know just a tad more than the average bear about Abe and Mary Lincoln, though they could use a little fetchin up themselves about a couple of key points, primarily the duck thing. You know. It looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, starred in movies as a duck(s)...(Donald & Daisy), but the Lincoln community still thinks it’s a porcupine. Maybe you don’t.
In fact, I believe ‘tiny’ has been used on this very forum in another thread that you participated in to, once again, describe Mary. I can’t recall offhand what category it was under and I’m too lazy to look for it, but it’s here somewhere. Unless of course somebody has deleted it in an effort to make that particular post disappear. I hope Roger is on top of things! So please enlighten me as to why you feel Mary had a rapid weight loss - or gain - in the months in question. Which of the Mary Lincoln photograph experts are you relying on for a pictorial timeline? Meserve? Ostendorf? Keya Morgan?(eye roll). Other? It’s a guessing game. Nothing even close to a consensus among them. Whatever fits their agenda for that particular day. Subject to change overnight. The only constant being that all of the others come later. Much later than March 4th, 1861. A significant portion of the answer lies in the difference visually between a daguerreian image and a paper image, but I simply don’t have the ability to articulate that difference in a meaningful way. Which is why you and others still have that shadowy grey area to cling to.