An individual half-length portrait carte de visite of President Abraham Lincoln, captured from life by Alexander Gardner on 9 August 1863. This highly desirable, rare variant features an explicit, integrated lower text line directly on the face of the mount reading: Entered according to Act of Congress, by Alex. Gardner, in the year 1863, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the District of Columbia. The reverse displays a spectacular backmark for Alex. Gardner, Photographer to the Army of the Potomac, 507 Seventh Street, published by Philp & Solomons of Washington, D.C.

Cataloged as Meserve No. 51 (Ostendorf O-71), this historic portrait was captured at Gardner's newly opened independent gallery just days before Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. The three-quarter view resolves the president from the chest up, showcasing his full beard and a deeply focused expression. Finding an authentic, first-generation wartime printing that successfully preserves the front-facing federal copyright text line alongside the pristine Philp & Solomons backmark represents a major rarity for advanced Lincoln collectors. 

The albumen surface is exceptionally bright, with rich contrast and minimal wear.