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Primary sourcePhotograph

James Garfield

Brady-Handy Photograph Collection

A Brady-Handy studio portrait of James Garfield that became his standard image as the 20th president.

This Brady-Handy portrait became the standard image representing Garfield as president.

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Black and white studio portrait of a bearded man with receding hair, wearing a dark suit jacket, white collar and dark bow tie, gazing to the side against a plain gray backdrop.
Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, James Garfield. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white studio photograph of James Garfield from the Brady-Handy Photograph Collection, held at the Library of Congress. It became the standard image used to represent him as president.

Why it matters

Photographs like this one shaped how the public came to recognize their leaders in the nineteenth century, a time when photography was becoming widespread. This particular portrait is the one most commonly associated with Garfield's presidency.

Look closer

  • What choices do you notice in how Garfield is dressed and posed for this portrait?
  • Why might this particular photograph have become the standard image of him rather than another?
  • What can and can't a formal portrait like this tell us about a person?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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