Marcus, Leonard. Mr. Lincoln Sits for His Portrait: The Story of a Photograph That Became an American Icon. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 01/2023. 128pp. Biography. Trade $19.99. 978-0-374-30348-8. GRADES 6 – 8. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
This well-documented account focuses on the depiction of Abraham Lincoln through paintings and photographs of the era. Although the title references a single portrait (Anthony Berger’s touching photograph of a bespectacled Lincoln reading to his son Tad) several others are discussed including Francis Bicknell Carpenter’s epic painting of Lincoln presenting the Emancipation Proclamation to members of his cabinet. The book conveys the power of the media, even back then, highlighting Lincoln’s savvy in using images to build support and buoy confidence during the Civil War. Key elements of Lincoln’s life and legacy receive only brief mention, making this a book best paired with other biographies such as Lincoln and His Boys (Wells, Candlewick, 2015) and Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship (Freeman, Clarion, 2012).
Jenny Andrus—Independent