Lots of Lincolns

October 23, 2012 5:50 PM

Looking Like Lincoln - photographer Greta Pratt shoots nineteen Lincoln impersonators, drawn from participants in The Association of Lincoln Presenters
posted by Blazecock Pileon (24 comments total)

photographer John Wilkes Booth impersonator Greta Pratt shoots nineteen Lincoln impersonators

posted by saturday_morning at 6:00 PM on October 23, 2012 [32 favorites]

Hey, I worked with #14 at a history museum! I wish I had more of a substantial story than "I saw him in the break area a few times and he seemed like a nice enough guy," but I don't.
posted by Turkey Glue at 6:21 PM on October 23, 2012

They may have Lincoln's look, but can they do his voice?
posted by homunculus at 6:22 PM on October 23, 2012

There can be only one.
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:36 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

"We are ready, willing and Abe L." is the best slogan ever.
posted by jason_steakums at 6:54 PM on October 23, 2012 [4 favorites]

Looking Like Lincoln

Or not looking very much like Lincoln at all, in some cases.
posted by doctor_negative at 7:09 PM on October 23, 2012

I'm pretty sure it's closed now, but in Gettysburg there was an antique shop called "Abe's Antiques" that was run by the most Lincoln-lookin' Lincoln impersonator I've ever seen. He had a museum in the back that he was liquidating when I was there, and buying an antique painting of Lincoln from a museum about Lincoln FROM Lincoln in a shop bearing his name was a pretty amazing experience.
posted by Hey Dean Yeager! at 7:10 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

This one is doing that "if only he'd just take me now" look that Romney kept doing to Obama in the split-screen debates.
posted by xedrik at 7:13 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Abe was the first of my many dead guy crushes. These guys don't come close to the ugly/handsome visage of the original. Sigh.
posted by Isadorady at 7:20 PM on October 23, 2012

ABE LINCOLN INVENTED THE SPLIT-FINGER FASTBALL

I'd love to see a documentary about The Association of Lincoln Presenters. Thanks for posting this.
posted by not_on_display at 8:02 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Let's get the hell outta here!
posted by RobotHero at 8:27 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Sarah Vowell would pee her pants.
posted by 41swans at 9:14 PM on October 23, 2012

I saw this show at the Frye in Seattle. to the best of my recollection, one of the images on display was of a Lincoln impersonator wearing the signiature hat and a sleeveless grey tee, doing a Bowser flex and showing off his awesome Lincoln tattoo.

Sadly and perhaps predictably, that image is not among the images in the NYT gallery.
posted by mwhybark at 9:25 PM on October 23, 2012

I'll just leave this here. Not A. Bowser Lincoln, to be sure, and apologies for the deeplink.
posted by mwhybark at 9:32 PM on October 23, 2012 [2 favorites]

photographer John Wilkes Booth impersonator Greta Pratt shoots nineteen Lincoln impersonators...

...drawn from participants in The Association Assassination of Lincoln Presenters.
posted by infinitywaltz at 10:28 PM on October 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

In that business it seems to be all about committing to the beard.
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:23 AM on October 24, 2012

When I was in 4th or 5th Grade, I got to play Lincoln in a school play on American history. I had to read the Gettysburg Address. My beard was, I suspect, unconvincing, and I failed to bring the level of gravitas that the occasion demanded. So I really don't feel right in criticizing the Lincolnness on display. Let 100 Lincolns content!
posted by GenjiandProust at 2:54 AM on October 24, 2012

What, no Segway Lincoln?
posted by orme at 4:55 AM on October 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

I have seen these displayed together . It is a whole mess of Lincoln.
posted by louche mustachio at 5:15 AM on October 24, 2012

There's really no face like the the original Abe, is there? I've seen lots of celebrity lookalikes that nail it, but no one can do Lincoln. Even the guys who come close really don't come close at all.
posted by echo target at 6:46 AM on October 24, 2012

One good interpreter/impersonator of a prominent historical figure can provide that extra nudge of mise-en-scene which takes a living history event to the next level. More than one person pretending to be the same figure in the same place (or same exhibit) though, is instantly kinda funny.

I was once at a civil war reenactment where there were two General Lees, one of whom was a little bit (ok, a lot) heavy. It made suspension of disbelief... difficult.
posted by usonian at 7:15 AM on October 24, 2012

It's well known the E stood for Elvis. Therefore, fat and skinny Bobby Lees are coming in as a line of march requirement, pursuant to Bowser Lincoln.
posted by mwhybark at 8:32 AM on October 24, 2012

I saw a chap who looked remarkably like lewis powell/paine on the glasgow to edinburgh train last week.
posted by sgt.serenity at 1:41 PM on October 24, 2012

Oh hey I just noticed this post. Greta Pratt is my wife's cousin. We have her book Using History in our coffee table-- it's a great collection of photos of the iconography of the United States, from drug store Indians to Revolutionary War reenactments to a woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty with full facepaint, kids dressed as cowboys, Mt. Rushmore on a vending machine, US flag sweaters... fantastic book. It's also got a couple of her Lincoln photos. She'll be totally jazzed to see this post here.
posted by shakespeherian at 5:21 PM on November 9, 2012