[President Abraham Lincoln seated with his secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay]

Photo shows President Abraham Lincoln seated between his private secretaries John G. Nicolay and John Hay at a photo session in Alexander Gardner's studio in Washington, D.C., on November 8, 1863.
"On this day John Hay wrote in his diary: 'Went with Mrs. Ames to Gardner's Gallery & were soon joined by Nico (John G. Nicolay) and the Prest. We had a great many pictures taken ... some of the Prest. the best I have seen. ... Nico & I immortalized ourselves by having ourselves done in a group with the Prest." (Source: Ostendorf, p. 142)

Image is cropped.
Ostendorf, no. 76
Meserve, no. 56
Published in: Lincoln's photographs : a complete album / by Lloyd Ostendorf. Dayton, Ohio : Rockywood Press, 1998, p. 142.
Published in: Lincoln, a picture story of his life / by Stefan Lorant. New York : Harper, [1952], p. 175.

Alexander Gardner (October 17, 1821 - December 10, 1882) was a Scottish photographer who is best known for his photographs of the American Civil War. He emigrated to the United States in 1856 and worked as a photographer in Mathew Brady's studio. Gardner was sent to document the American Civil War and produced some of the most iconic images of the conflict, including photographs of the battlefields at Antietam and Gettysburg. After the war, Gardner photographed President Lincoln and the American West, including images of Native Americans, settlers, and the construction of the transcontinental railroad.