Spot where Booth landed

[Dave Taylor]

Dr. Steers,

I don't believe that a circle was actually drawn on the Ford's Theatre stage. Rather, I believe the circle that appears on the Buckingham copy of print was either drawn on that specific image or, more likely, it is merely an illusion caused by scratches and artifacts on that print. Here are two other versions of that image, one previously owned by Dr. Lattimer and one from the archives of the National Museum of Health and Medicine, which bear no evidence of a circle.

Dr. Lattimer's copy:





From the archives of the National Museum of Health and Medicine:




Buckingham version:



In addition, the perspective is wrong for this circle to have been drawn on the stage. If it truly were drawn there, it would appear more like a pointy oval from the camera's angle, closer to this: