Seed Pearl Necklace and Bracelets

[James]

DAVE - By the way, Dave, just to be clear, I was referring to the various explanations offered up over the years by historians, photographers, etc. when I used the term "weak and contrived" in response to your post above, not to your specific comments. I should have pluralized the word "explanation" to avoid confusion.
The photo I alluded to earlier on page 24 (Kunhardt's - Lincoln - An Illustrated Biography) is a perfectly benign image until someone felt a need to explain why Abe's right hand is lying clenched in his lap, thereby bringing attention to the very thing they were attempting to conceal. You said you don't see any "infirmity" in that hand. Bingo. Just from a logical point of view, if it ain't broke, why is everyone trying to fix it with dubious explanations?
If this were an isolated incident, it wouldn't be worthy of discussion. But there are numerous examples and explanations that leads one (me) to believe that SOMETHING was amiss. Could have been severe arthritis, who knows. We'll never know with certainty now, but the photographic record cannot be ignored.
The Metropolitan Museum's version of why the piece of whittled broomstick was being held differs from that of Leonard Volk.
On the link above that Laurie posted, Volk is quoted as saying, upon arriving at the Lincoln home in 1860; ... "then those two great hands took both of mine with a grasp never to be forgotten". A few days later, Abe's hand "was swollen from shaking hands the evening before", according to Volk. This simply defies belief.
Also, I've yet to hear a reasonable explanation for the unnatural poses on pages 110 and 216. The manner in which Abe is clutching the cane, in conjunction with the numerous other instances mentioned, leads me to believe that Lincoln had a physical ailment that affected his right shoulder, arm and hand.

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(06-06-2019 12:04 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  I do have to agree that the man is probably wearing one glove and holding the other--a common pose in photos of the time. I have also seen tinted dags, some of them quite beautifully done (in fact, I own a couple of tinted ones). Here, from a reputable seller, is a nice example:

https://www.mikemedhurst.com/Image_pages...arket.html

BFF's???