New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2007.

Lewis Payne the Assassin

ArtistAfter Alexander Gardner (American (born Scotland), 1821 - 1882)

Publisher Harper's Weekly (American, 1825-1916)

CultureAmerican

DateMay 27, 1865

MediumWood engraving

DimensionsOverall, Image: 9 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. (24.1 x 14.6 cm)
Overall, Support: 13 3/4 × 11 in. (34.9 × 27.9 cm)
Overall, Mat: 27 15/16 × 23 7/8 in. (71 × 60.6 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase, with funds provided by the Photography Alliance

Object number91.15

On View

Not on view

DescriptionWoodcut from a photograph.

Label TextAfter Alexander Gardner American, 1821−1882 Lewis Payne the Assassin, 1865 Printed in Harper’s Weekly, vol. 9, no. 439 (May 27, 1865) Wood engraving (print) Newspapers quickly translated photographs of John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Powell (a.k.a. Lewis Payne), and their accomplices into engravings for illustration, even before full details of the conspiracy came to light. In the article accompanying this picture, Harper’s Weekly speculated that the assassins were Canadian spies. Powell was actually a Confederate deserter born in Alabama. Working from Alexander Gardner’s photos, the illustrator here used a guard to exaggerate Powell’s height and create a more menacing appearance. Museum purchase, with funds provided by the Photography Alliance 91.15 Exhibition History"An Enduring Interest: The Photographs of Alexander Gardner," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., Oct. 20, 1991 - Jan. 5, 1992. "Shooting Lincoln: Photography and the 16th President," Chrysler Museum of Art, February 10 - July 5, 2015.Published ReferencesHARPER'S WEEKLY - A JOURNAL OF CIVILIZATION, Vol. 9, No. 439, May 27, 1865, p. 1. Brooks Johnson, _An Enduring Interest: The Photographs of Alexander Gardner_, exh. cat., The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va., 1991, 127.