A spirit photograph by William H. Mumler featuring Mary Todd Lincoln and the spirit of her deceased husband Abraham Lincoln.
One of Mumler’s best known photographs was of Mary Todd Lincoln, widow of the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Under the pseudonym of “Mrs. Tyndall,” she went to Mumler’s studio. She was still dressed in mourning black and heavily veiled prior to the taking of the photograph. When the picture was developed another woman present saw an image standing behind Mrs. Lincoln. She said, “Why, that looks like President Lincoln.” Mrs. Lincoln replied, “Yes it does. I am his widow.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) – American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the American Civil War and succeeded in preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, bolstering the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy.