Abraham Lincoln Presidential Campaign Pin

Political advertising is as old as American Politics. The development of photography in the 19th century made a great impact on presidential campaigns. For the first time, starting in 1840, the general public could see what a candidate looked like. It is interesting to contrast the images of Abraham Lincoln from the 1860 and 1863 campaigns. In 1860, his image presented a clean shaven candidate whereas in 1864, his image was that of a man with a beard. He had progressed in political image from "Honest Abe" to "Father Abraham".