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Primary sourcePhotographc. 1870-1880

Photograph of President Andrew Johnson

Mathew Benjamin Brady · c. 1870-1880

A studio photograph of Andrew Johnson by Mathew Brady, the image most commonly used to identify him as president.

This is a standard photographic portrait of Johnson, used to identify him as president.

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Black and white head and shoulders studio portrait of a man with receding gray hair, dark suit jacket, white shirt, and bow tie, looking toward the viewer with a stern expression.
Mathew Brady, photographic portrait of President Andrew Johnson, c. 1870-1880.

About this source

What it is

This is a head-and-shoulders studio photograph of Andrew Johnson, taken by the famous photographer Mathew Brady around 1870-1880. Johnson is shown in a dark suit with a bow tie, looking directly at the viewer.

Why it matters

Mathew Brady was one of the most important photographers of 19th-century America, known for documenting the Civil War era and its leading figures. This portrait became the standard image used to represent Johnson, the president who succeeded Abraham Lincoln and led the country through the turbulent early years of Reconstruction.

Look closer

  • What impression does Johnson's expression and posture create?
  • Why might a photographer like Brady have been chosen to photograph a president?
  • What does a formal studio portrait like this not tell us about a person's actions or beliefs?

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

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Amphitheatrum Johnsonianum – Massacre of the Innocents at New Orleans

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Check for the Purchase of Alaska

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