Six Months at the White House with Abraham Lincoln : The Story of a Picture

Six Months at the White House was written by Francis Bicknell Carpenter after the unexpected popularity of a series of articles published in the New York Independent relating to Abraham Lincoln following his assassination. Carpenter, a Civil War portrait painter, was originally hired to capture President Lincoln in the picture, "First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before the Cabinet." During the six months occupied in painting this picture, Carpenter enjoyed constant interaction with the President, as well as the various members of his Cabinet. Lincoln was enthusiastic in helping Carpenter, even letting him use the state dining room as his studio.