Who is this lady?

[AussieMick]

I wonder whether Mr Mumler did much business? And did anybody have the courage to suggest to Mary that the "hands" on her shoulders ... how should I say this ... well, I think Mr. Mumler could have tried a bit harder to make them appear normal.

Now that I think about this, I'd suggest that Mary knew that this was not an apparition. I know she was obviously traumatised (who wouldnt be) and possibly suffering from a mental illness. But she was also an intelligent woman that would not (IMO) have been fooled by a dopey 'photo' of a dead Lincoln. She would though perhaps have been comforted to have a pretend-image of him standing behind her and seemingly protecting her.