According to photography historians, Abraham Lincoln purposefully created his political image, posing with so much determination that he ended up having several dozen photographic portraits (an incredulous number at the time). Many decades before spin doctors would appear, that outstanding statesman understood that media popularity translated directly into the election success. Therefore he insisted on making his face truly trustworthy: using facial hair and appropriate shots, he camouflaged his face deformation suffered in a childhood accident. In this way, readers of American papers were having to do with an individual of noble looks, wisdom-revealing eyes, and regular face features. The frequent appearance of the effigy of such a promising statesman, combined with his addresses, had a decisive impact on the outcome of the 1861 presidential election.

When displaying the following photographs from everyday life from the turn of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, not infrequently taken by amateurs, we would only wish to suggest to viewers to sensibly pose for portraits and make sure they look good in them.