When Abraham Lincoln was invited to give a speech in Brooklyn, New York, in February 1860, he was already famous throughout Illinois, but almost no one in the East knew what he looked like. The presidential election of 1860 was coming, and Lincoln, as a possible Republican candidate , wanted to increase his popularity. Hoping to introduce himself to hundreds of new voters , Lincoln eagerly accepted the invitation to the East. He wrote a powerful speech opposing slavery  . Then he went to Springfield, Illinois by train. When Lincoln arrived in New York, he was surprised to learn that so many people had bought tickets for his speech that it had been moved from a small Brooklyn church to a New York City college. Lincoln got to town exhausted. His suit was badly wrinkled , and his one piece of luggage was old and covered with dust. Worst of all, his plain   face, uncombed hair shocked those who greeted him. However, his admirers decided to have Lincoln photographed . If the cameraman could make Lincoln a little handsome, perhaps he could win more votes. They found the city's most famous photographer Brady. Brady and his assistants looked through the camera and surprised by what they saw. So they decided to make an adjustment before they took the picture. Brady walked over to Lincoln and pulled up Lincoln's shirt collar as high as it would go. As a result, the picture successfully covered up his long, ugly neck, which made Lincoln appear quite handsome. Lincoln's speech that day proved to be a triumph.  So did the photograph. The photo inspired thousands of copies; so many that Brady insisted that this picture became the means to Lincoln's election to the Presidency nine months later. If that's true it might be said that Lincoln won the election by a neck--a neck that had been shortened in New York. What surprised Brady when he looked through the camera?
Lincoln's plain face. Lincoln's uncombed hair. Lincoln's bad manner Lincoln's ugly neck