Existing comment:
Mathew Brady:
Abraham Lincoln sat for an official portrait by society photographer Mathew Brady at Brady's Pennsylvania Avenue studio, located between Sixth and Seventh streets. Brady went on to oversee the documentation of one of the biggest stories of the 19th century; the U.S. Civil War, paving the way for modern photojournalism. Brady fell into debt after the war and was seriously injured by a horse-drawn streetcar on Pennsylvania Avenue. He died in poverty in 1896.
From a Washington Evening Star report about Brady's photograph of Lincoln: "Some of the ladies say he is almost good-looking."
First lady Mary Todd Lincoln was criticized for overspending. This invoice (above) from a Pennsylvania Avenue store shows goods and services [costing $1,000] that she bought for the White House.
"I can get a decent office on 14th Street in the 'row' exclusive for $30 pr month."
-- Boston Journal correspondent Ben: Perley Poore |