Abraham Lincoln
"How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg."
• Abraham Lincoln
Recreating photos of the author walking in the footsteps of history can sometimes be a little contentious as sometimes the author and photographer do not agree on the proper composition. In the case of the Abraham Lincoln House, the National Park Service has thoughtfully provided some guidance in order to reduce photographic and matrimonial discord.
Lincoln's Home and exact camera location, circa summer of 1860
Abraham Lincoln's home in Springfield, IL was purchased by Lincoln in 1844 for $1500. It was then only a single story structure. As he prospered he added a second story and furnished it accordingly. He left it days before he was inaugurated, never to return.
As I stood in Lincoln's footsteps, I thought about what Honest Abe would do if he was the current president. While I am unsure of his exact actions, I feel confident that hurling invectives at those that disagree with him, starting his workday at 11:00 am, publicly rating women's looks, and surrounding himself with sycophants, incompetents, fools, and felons would all be part of the plan.
Abraham Lincoln's house - circa 1860¹
Abraham Lincoln's house - circa 2023
May 24, 2023
Footnotes:
¹ This photo of the Lincoln home was taken by Boston photographer John Adams Whipple during the summer of 1860 and features Lincoln and his son Willie, standing together behind the fence and Tad is peeking from behind the corner post. Reporters and photographers came to Springfield, charged with telling the rest of America through words and images, about the little known, Abraham Lincoln.
"So, I think I've done more for the Black community than any other president, and let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, cause he did good, although it's always questionable."
• Donald J. Trump (06/19/2020)