Press Release
Wilton, CT, USA, April 18, 2025 — On Wednesday, April 23rd, auction house University Archives will present an extraordinary artifact: a photographic image of President Abraham Lincoln, created circa 1895-1900 by George B. Ayres (1829-1905) using Alexander Hesler’s (1823-1895) original 1860 collodion negative of Portrait Sitting No. 2. Objects of this profound historical consequence and rare visual immediacy rarely come to auction.
“The interpositive – a silver gelatin positive transparency on glass – represents perhaps the most vivid and lifelike photographic likeness of Lincoln ever produced,” said John Reznikoff, the president and owner of University Archives. “It is offered in time for the 160th anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination, in 1865, and will be the star lot in an auction featuring items signed by other U.S. presidents, in addition to many other luminaries throughout history.”
Here is a link to the interpositive on the University Archives website: https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-lot/best-image-of-abraham-lincoln-closest…-to-‘seei_05a4e26847. It is the headliner lot in the online-only Rare Autographs, Books & Photos auction, beginning at 10am Eastern time. Internet bidding will be facilitated by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, Auctionzip.com and UniversityArchives.com.
The interpositive was cleaned and restored by experts at the George Eastman House & International Museum of Photography & Film (Rochester, N.Y.) in 2007, following a two-year exploratory research phase. It measures 8.625 inches by 11 inches and is housed in an elegant custom-built cabinet presentation case designed by Arnold VanDenburgh of Rochester, N.Y.
The mahogany veneer case has a slanted top with two hinged doors. It’s illuminated by a hidden light source that dramatically backlights the image when the doors are opened and extinguishes it upon closure. The elegant mechanism offers an extraordinary viewing experience. The case measures 14.5 inches by 16 inches by 13.5 inches.
Here is a link to the April 23rd auction catalog on the University Archives website: https://www.universityarchives.com/auction-catalog/rare-autographs-books-photos-abraham-lincoln-coll_DU5FC9TF63?scrollPosition=05a4e26847&algoliaParam=upcoming_lots_lotNumber_asc_prod%255Bpage%255D%3D2
