New Booth Pic?

[Susan Higginbotham]

(08-19-2016 09:42 AM)HistoryFan Wrote:  Again, just theorizing ... we're talking about John Wilkes Booth, the passionate, spirited and dramatic young man thwarted in his attempts to join the Confederate Army by a promise he made to his mother. While a "normal" Confederate operative might prefer to be totally incognito, perhaps he wanted to see how he looked in his hat.

I like the way the man is gazing resolutely at some distant focus, rather than looking into the camera, as though he had some noble purpose. His pose (that distant gaze) reminds me of Edwin Forrest's classic pose as Metamora, the popular 19th century play in which Forrest portrayed an Indian chief who turned to violence only by force.

In addition, how many 1860s photos have you seen of a man posing in a fox skin hat inside a photo studio? Yet we know, through contemporary accounts, that John Wilkes Booth did so (although that photo has never been found). He engaged in the burgeoning technology of photography far more than most citizens of the era.

As I mentioned earlier on this thread, when I asked Donald Serfass about the proximity of the Baily photography studio to the barber shop, he responded, "The barber shop and the photo studio were located LESS than one block apart on the same side of the main street."

Art Loux and Terry Alford both mention the yellow fox-skin cap. A George Iles recalls Booth wearing it during a sleigh ride in Montreal in subzero weather; the cap had a "sheltering peak." According to Iles, Booth later posed for local photographer George Martin in his "winter array," presumably including the cap.

It's actually pretty common to see men and women posing in winter clothing (including fur hats) during this period, so I wouldn't be surprised to see such a photo of Booth if one turned up.

The last paragraph of the Cleveland Leader article beggars belief as far as I'm concerned. A black man taunting a white one in a railroad car full of Confederate sympathizers? Not very likely.

[Pamela]

   

I made a comparison of Booth faces (taken from Boothie Barn) and the unknown man's face. Despite the photo quality there are at least six areas in which Booth's face is clearly different from the face of the unknown man.

Eyebrows: No matter how blurry the image, Booth's eyebrows are strong, dark and straight with an arch at the outer edge. They always strongly define the bridge of his nose on the light side of his face and the shadow side. The unknown man's eyebrows are nondescript.

Eyes: Booth's eyes are bigger.

Area between ear and eyes and mouth: That area on the unknown man is twice as wide as Booth's.

Mustache: Booth's mustache as it descends from the base of his nose takes a little dip and then curves around the sides of his mouth. The mustache of the unknown man has a straight slope from the base of his nose and then another straight slope at the sides of his mouth.

Nose: Booth's nose is larger and more prominent.

Head shape: Booth's head is narrow compared to the round head of the unknown man.

[L Verge]

(08-21-2016 11:38 AM)Pamela Wrote:  I made a comparison of Booth faces (taken from Boothie Barn) and the unknown man face. Despite the photo quality there are at least six areas in which Booth's face is clearly different from the face of the unknown man.

Eyebrows: No matter how blurry the image, Booth's eyebrows are strong, dark and straight with an arch at the outer edge. They always strongly define the bridge of his nose on the light side of his face and the shadow side. The unknown man's eyebrows are nondescript.

Eyes: Booth's eyes are bigger.

Area between ear and eyes and mouth: That area on the unknown man is twice as wide as Booth's.

Mustache: Booth's mustache as it descends from the base of his nose takes a little dip and then curves around the sides of his mouth. The mustache of the unknown man has a straight slope from the base of his nose and then another straight slope at the sides of his mouth.

Nose: Booth's nose is larger and more prominent.

Head shape: Booth's head is narrow compared to the round head of the unknown man.

Good comparison points.

[RJNorton]

I second Laurie - good work, Pam!

Although I agree with others' opinions that this is not Booth, I must also add that IMO it is closer than many photos I've have seen over the last 20 years. I have been sent photos that were alleged to be Abraham Lincoln as well as other historical folks. This one is more worthy of examination/discussion in comparison to many other photos out there.

Here's an example. This was touted as a photo of Ned Spanger and Lewis Powell.

[L Verge]

I agree with Roger on that point, also. In fact, I believe I have seen one on BoothieBarn that looks less like Booth than this one.

What I enjoy about chasing down some of these photos and stories is the chase itself and the interesting topics you get led into while trying to find clues. I had never heard of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, before; and now I know its history (with a good portion of it built from Irish and Eastern European immigration). It had also been many years since I thought about the supposed affair between Jefferson and Sally Hemings. A good refresher course.

[Pamela]

   

As an artist, especially a portrait artist, I enjoy studying and analyzing the human form. To get a likeness, nuances and minor details differentiate between one unique person and another when 2 people are generically similar.

The unknown man (center) looks as if the photographer told him to put his hand on his hip and he did so, and to put one foot forward, which he did, and both look unnatural and awkward, particularly the hand on hip. Booth's bent arms always look graceful and purposeful. There seems to be no reason for the unknown man's hand to be on his hip other than because the photographer told him to put it there.

Also the left boot (his left) of the unknown man looks damaged/worn because it curls up at the toe and there is something that looks torn or loose on top of the toe area. Compare to Booth's boot to the right.

[Eva Elisabeth]

I agree, Pamela - IMO Booth shows "stage presence" in all photos. And thanks for the visual comparisons.

As for the story - there seems a tendency to believe near everything from newspapers, especially 19th century ones. Lincoln said (to Mrs. Wells) about the newspapers that "they lie, and then they re-lie".

[L Verge]

(08-21-2016 02:51 PM)Pamela Wrote:  As an artist, especially a portrait artist, I enjoy studying and analyzing the human form. To get a likeness, nuances and minor details differentiate between one unique person and another when 2 people are generically similar.

The unknown man (center) looks as if the photographer told him to put his hand on his hip and he did so, and to put one foot forward, which he did, and both look unnatural and awkward, particularly the hand on hip. Booth's bent arms always look graceful and purposeful. There seems to be no reason for the unknown man's hand to be on his hip other than because the photographer told him to put it there.

Also the left boot (his left) of the unknown man looks damaged/worn because it curls up at the toe and there is something that looks torn or loose on top of the toe area. Compare to Booth's boot to the right.

I just noticed too the length of the frock coats. Our unidentified man's coat is considerably shorter than any of the others. That suggests a slightly later time period (or special uniform) to me. Those shorter styles were called sack coats.

[HistoryFan]

I like seeing the "collage" of comparison photos, as well.

Although I already posted a better quality view of the man's face early in the thread, here is a better view of him below the neck for comparison purposes.
   

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(08-20-2016 07:57 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  The last paragraph of the Cleveland Leader article beggars belief as far as I'm concerned. A black man taunting a white one in a railroad car full of Confederate sympathizers? Not very likely.

I tend to agree with this point.

An interesting fact I've come upon in my preliminary research on Simon Jefferson, however, is that many of Thomas Jefferson's "mulatto" descendants were so fair-skinned that they could pass as white.

I really wish we could see a photo of Simon Jefferson!

[Gene C]

Getting back to our barber Simon Jefferson.....

(08-01-2016 09:54 AM)tom82baur Wrote:  Quoting from the Times News
"It was during one of those visits when Booth reportedly told Tamaqua barber Simon Jefferson about his plans to shoot the president.

Jefferson was the first black resident of the community and claimed to be a descendant of Thomas Jefferson through slave Sally Hemmings."

According to the Thomas Jefferson Foundation - the Jefferson Monticello web site....
"Ten years later, TJF and most historians believe that, years after his wife’s death (1782), Thomas Jefferson was the father of the six children of Sally Hemings mentioned in Jefferson's records, including Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston Hemings"

https://www.monticello.org/site/plantati...ef-account

https://www.monticello.org/site/plantati...r-children
Simon Jefferson is not on the list of Sally's children.

According to the Republican Herold of July 31, 2012
"Ultimately, Jefferson's warnings went unheard as Lincoln was killed a month later despite Jefferson attending Lincoln's second inauguration in Washington, D.C. The cemetery lists Jefferson as 100 years old when he died Aug. 26, 1886."

I think Simon was an old man who liked to tell tall tales and the newspaper reporters like to repeat them, without calling them into question.
(which might hurt newspaper and book sales, and the attention they get by sensationalizing the story.

[HistoryFan]

The earliest census in which I found Simon Jefferson was 1850.

His birth date varies from 1795 to 1797, making him either 91 or 89 years old when he died in 1886.

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Also, Eston Hemings changed his name to Eston Jefferson in 1852, so it is possible that Simon Jefferson's name was changed from an earlier one.

[Pamela]

   

So, with the better image of the unknown man, the differences between he and Booth are very clear.

Roger, I can see why the Spangler/Powell pic had some traction. It's a funny idea, too, to see them seem to toast to the success of the conspiracy.

[HistoryFan]

Just a little update to all: I'm planning to take a trip to Tamaqua in the next few weeks to do more research on Simon Jefferson, the barber. I'll also get a chance to read his obituary at the library. I also plan to visit Mr. Jefferson's unmarked grave.

I'll post my findings on this thread soon, probably in October, and will include photos.

By the way, I was recently referring to my copy of John Wilkes Booth: Day by Day when I happened to notice the cover photo of JWB. It was taken by Alexander Gardner, circa 1865.

In Gardner's photo of JWB, he is wearing a coat very similar to the man in my photo, including what appears to be identical satin trim on the lapels and forearms of the sleeve. We can't see the length of the coat in the Alexander Gardner photo, but it looks like the same coat, although it is buttoned in the Gardner photo and unbuttoned in the anonymous man's photo.

I find that very intriguing!

(The photo I was trying to attach won't post here, because it says the file is too large. Anyone know how to make it smaller?)

[RJNorton]

Michele, I think this is the photo you refer to. (?)

[HistoryFan]

Thanks, Roger ... that is the Gardner photo to which I referred.

I had stitched two photos together side by side, but that version turned out too big, so I'll just attach a cropped version of my photo, showing more details of his coat.