The "Tousled Hair" Portrait by Alexander Hesler, Chicago, 1857

Alexander Hesler made this portrait in Chicago on February 28, 1857, and the wild hair gave it its nickname. A long-repeated story says Lincoln ran his fingers through his hair after it had been smoothed down, preferring to look like himself. The picture is unusually candid for its time, but when copies circulated during the 1860 campaign his supporters worried that it made him look unkempt, and more polished portraits followed. The original negative is generally said to have been lost in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.