Seed Pearl Necklace and Bracelets

[James]

On page 321 of the Kunhardt's book ... Lincoln - An Illustrated Biography ... is a description of Lincoln by his pastor, the Reverend Dr. Phineas D. Gurley. He states that when Lincoln walked, he looked as if "he was about to plunge forward, from his right shoulder, for he always walked, when he had anything in his hand, as if he was pushing something in front of him".
Directly above that is a quote from an unnamed source, stating that Lincoln's walk was undulating and slightly off balance, making him resemble, someone said, "a mariner who had found his sea legs but had to admit there was a rough sea running".
Without the benefit of the visual evidence available in the extensive photographic record of Abraham Lincoln, these observations would be completely irrelevant. But the full length photos (page 110 and 216) that show Abe in what could only be described as awkward or unorthodox poses, in conjunction with the numerous photos showing his right hand curiously clenched in his lap leaves little room for doubt that he had some sort of ailment that affected his right side. This doesn't even take into account the presence of the piece of whittled broomstick in his right hand during a sitting for Leonard Volk.
Abe's hands have been repeatedly described by contemporaries as large, rough hewn, sinewy, etc. It simply strains credulity that his right hand was "swollen and nearly paralyzed" (page 24) as the result of shaking hands. It is much more plausible that this explanation was a convenient excuse by those who were hesitant to reveal Lincoln's frailties, just as FDR's frailties (not that being bound to a wheelchair due to polio is in the same category) was hidden from the public by those around him.
I'm not suggesting that Lincoln was crippled. I'm simply saying that the manner in which he is clutching the cane, while subtle, is consistent with the evidence in the photographic record that indicates an ailment affecting his right side.