The Peoria Riverfront Museum has acquired and put on display an original 1854 ambrotype of Abraham Lincoln, a rare image made at a downtown Peoria studio. The beardless portrait later served as a model for campaign keepsakes during Lincoln’s 1858 U.S. Senate race against Stephen A. Douglas, linking a local photograph to a pivotal period in national politics.
Key takeaways
- The museum’s new acquisition is an original glass-plate ambrotype made in Peoria in 1854.
- The portrait is on view in the museum’s “Promise of Liberty” exhibition and joins its permanent collection.
- The image was adapted into widely circulated paper collectibles during Lincoln’s Senate campaign against Douglas.
The photograph’s arrival was announced Tuesday, Oct. 20, on the 14th anniversary of the museum’s opening. Museum leaders described it as a significant addition to the collection and an opportunity to connect visitors with Peoria’s place in Lincoln’s story.
An original image authenticated
The photograph, known as “the Peoria Portrait,” shows Lincoln without a beard. Chicago-based Lincoln specialist Daniel Weinberg, of Abraham Lincoln Book Shop Inc., confirmed that the object is the original image made by photographer Roderick M. Cole at his Peoria studio, rather than a later reproduction.
An ambrotype produces a photographic image on a glass plate. The Peoria original was subsequently reproduced as a small paper collectible, helping spread Lincoln’s likeness among voters and supporters.
From a Peoria studio to a Senate campaign
The image was made in 1854, before Lincoln’s nationally prominent 1858 Senate contest with Douglas. The two men later ran against each other for president. Museum president and CEO John Morris connected the acquisition to Lincoln’s 1854 speech in Peoria, describing the city as a setting for a decisive moment in the development of Lincoln’s thinking about liberty.
Morris said the speech took place close to the museum and characterized the portrait as among the most important historical works to enter its collection since it opened.
A multiyear effort brings the portrait home
Museum board chairman Derek Schryer said the effort to obtain the photograph began several years ago. Weinberg encountered it at a rare-book fair in New York, and a search led museum representatives to the private collector who owned it. Negotiations eventually brought the image to Peoria.
The museum said the acquisition was led by its board collections committee and made possible by support from donors contributing to its America 250 effort. The portrait is now displayed in “Promise of Liberty,” where visitors can see the original object and learn how it became part of Lincoln’s political history.
Connecting local history with future generations
Community engagement coordinator Everley Davis said objects like the portrait can help children recognize that consequential events and stories are tied to their own community. Museum staff hope the display will prompt curiosity and further learning about Lincoln, Peoria and the broader history of liberty.
