The Nominee, by Alexander Hesler, Springfield, June 3, 1860

Two weeks after the Republican convention chose him, Lincoln sat for Alexander Hesler in Springfield, and this is the best known of the portraits from that session. It is often counted among the finest beardless likenesses: sharply lit, with every crease of the face visible and none of the stiffness of a formal studio pose. Lincoln himself approved of it, reportedly saying that it looked better and expressed him better than any portrait he had seen, and that if it pleased the people he was satisfied.