Seed Pearl Necklace and Bracelets

[James]

(06-05-2019 05:20 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(06-02-2019 08:17 AM)James Wrote:  While on the subject of Mary, years ago when the daguerreotype was still listed on eBay, the owner was contacted by Michael Ballard, an archivist at Mississippi State University and told that while he (Ballard) didn't necessarily agree with their assessment, a couple of Lincoln experts were convinced that the woman pictured was indeed Mary Todd Lincoln, but that they "couldn't reconcile the image of Abe". He said they thought the man seated next to her was most likely her father, Robert Smith Todd (who died in 1849). When pressed for more details on the subject later on, Mr. Ballard refused to respond to email inquiries. He has since passed away.

It is beyond me how a couple of "Lincoln experts" could claim that the man in the daguerreotype is Robert Smith Todd. At least to my eyes the two men do not look anything alike. Robert Smith Todd was 27 years older than Mary; the two people in the daguerreotype are not that far apart in age.

Robert Smith Todd

I couldn't agree more, Roger. It's just another illustration of the flawed subjective thinking and compromised powers of observation embedded deep within the psyche of the Lincoln community, for whatever reason. I didn't say it. Michael Ballard said it. He was contacted several times over the years with the hope that he would elaborate but he refused to respond.

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(06-05-2019 05:01 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(06-05-2019 03:26 PM)James Wrote:  [quote='RJNorton' pid='77208' dateline='1559742851']
[quote='James' pid='77196' dateline='1559707481']
Provenance has absolutely nothing to do with authenticity when a photograph is the subject of scrutiny.

Again, I don't think you can give me decent documented material on these supposed "deformities" or whatever you wish to call them. Since Lincoln is one of the most researched and written about figures in history, there should surely be a good number of legitimate scholars who would have noticed this and would have written about it in more than one place. What is the name of this person(s) that you cite, and where can we find this description? It is going to take way more than your claims - and other researchers of questionable reliability - to make me knuckle under.

I believe that I guessed at this couple's ages as at least mid-50s. The man is holding his age better than the woman, imo. The whole point of this never-ending debate, however, is that this man and this woman just do not look anything like the real Lincolns! What part of this are we missing?

P.S. What about my assertion in a previous post that the man's hand and cane and bright watch chain are not in the original? That hand, especially, just hops off the screen and screams, "Fake."

Laurie - about that P.S. statement, I have literally no idea what you are talking about. Truly.
Mary has been researched and written about extensively also. One would also reasonably assume that legitimate scholars would have seen the large scar and written about it. Yet it doesn't exist, according to the written word. Of course now we KNOW it exists. Why? Because it sticks out like a sore thumb and we can see it with our own eyes.
There are undoubtedly people on this forum who know exactly what I'm talking about when I refer to the description of Abe by a contemporary source. I can't recall the quote verbatim, but it likened Abe to a sailor trying to find his sea legs. Since that information will obviously not be forthcoming from any source on this forum, I will track it down and post it. I've gotten used to doing your homework for you, so no worries.