Picture of man dressed like Lincoln standing next to his RV painted like log cabin. — Lincoln admirer Gerald Bestrom not only dressed the part but also traveled across the country in a motor home he painted to resemble a log cabin.

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For these reenactors, patriotism is all about Abe

A photographer documented impassioned impersonators of President Lincoln who dress themselves in the past to convey values for today.

Photographs byGreta Pratt

ByHicks Wogan

March 3, 2022

Why Lincoln? That’s the question Greta Pratt asked the costumed men before her camera, all of whom committed a portion of their lives to a president now gone for more than 150 years. For these fans, Pratt learned, Abraham Lincoln “embodies one of America’s most cherished tenets: that the common man, through sheer hard work and determination, can elevate his status in society.”

Picture of two men dressed like Lincoln. — Greta Pratt wrote of her portrait series Nineteen Lincolns, “My intention is to comment on the way a society, composed of individuals, is held together through the creation of its history and heroic figures.” Pictured here are Robert Taylor and Mike Reiser (seated) and Randy Duncan.

Picture of chest portrait of man dressed like Lincoln. — Greta Pratt wrote of her portrait series Nineteen Lincolns, “My intention is to comment on the way a society, composed of individuals, is held together through the creation of its history and heroic figures.” Pictured here are Robert Taylor and Mike Reiser (seated) and Randy Duncan.

Picture of man dressed like Lincoln. — Stan Wernz and Chester Damron

Picture of man with grey beard dressed like Lincoln. — Stan Wernz and Chester Damron

Picture of man without hat dressed like Lincoln sitting with his hands on his knees. — For these Lincoln devotees, black suits, bow ties, stovepipe hats, and beards (real or not) are standard. Though some of Pratt’s subjects are now retired or deceased, she thinks their stories “still speak to the enduring appeal of America’s 16th president.” Pictured here are Vernon Risty and Whit McMahan.

Picture of man without beard dressed like Lincoln — For these Lincoln devotees, black suits, bow ties, stovepipe hats, and beards (real or not) are standard. Though some of Pratt’s subjects are now retired or deceased, she thinks their stories “still speak to the enduring appeal of America’s 16th president.” Pictured here are Vernon Risty and Whit McMahan.

Picture of man looking right dressed like Lincoln — Jim Sayre and Gerald Bestrom

Picture of man dressed like Lincoln holding hat on his right knee. — Jim Sayre and Gerald Bestrom

At four annual conventions of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, Pratt met men and women who perform as the president and first lady at schools, senior centers, and other venues. For the portraits in her project, she framed the men in softly focused, pastoral backgrounds reminiscent of historical paintings, and she challenged them to “summon up your inner Lincoln.”

They did so gladly. “Lincoln brings out the best in me,” says Illinois reenactor Randy Duncan. “He probes the patriotism of each of us.” Though her subjects began portraying Lincoln for varied personal reasons, Pratt says, they continue because he helps them feel part of something larger: a nation.