[LINCOLN, Abraham (1809-1865)]. BRADY, Mathew (1822-1896), photographer. 1860 presidential campaign ribbon with a photograph of a beardless Lincoln. Blue ribbon (135 x 60 mm), mounted photograph (50 x 40), fraying to cloth at ends, spotting. On 27 February 1860, Lincoln gave a speech at Cooper Union for The Young Men’s Central Republican Union in New York City to a crowd of 1,500. The speech, arguably the longest speech Lincoln ever produced, bolstered his name as a potential presidential candidate that year. The morning of the speech, Lincoln visited Brady’s studio to have his photograph taken. This photograph is unusual in many ways as it is one of only a few images showing Lincoln beardless but also depicting the politician standing - a rare occurrence due to his height which often limited him to sitting for photographs. To combat this, Brady personally arranged Lincoln’s collar, which Lincoln recognized as an effort to minimize his long neck. Knowing that Lincoln was speaking that night, Brady’s photograph was immediately developed and placed in the photographer’s studio window and hundreds of cartes d’visite were printed. The final product was a success as it showed Lincoln for the first time as a statesman. Sometime later, when Lincoln and Brady met again for a sitting, Lincoln credited the photograph in helping him become President.