Lincoln Conspirators, The Scaffold, Albumen Photograph

Description

A contemporary albumen photograph of the scaffold, before the arrival of the Lincoln Conspirators.

Four empty chairs sit atop the scaffold, as reporters and witnesses gather. Soldiers guarding the event lounge on top of a wall, while a rotund man in a top-hat inspects the scaffold beneath. This evocative image is one of the more difficult of the hanging series to find!

(Lincoln Conspirators)  “The Scaffold” by Alexander Gardner. Late 19th Century Albumen Photograph taken from the original glass plate negative. 6-1/4 x 4-1/2 in., placed on a titled backing sheet.