Looking for Lincoln

This portrait of President Abraham Lincoln was taken by Alexander Gardner in February of 1865, just a few months before Lincoln was assassinated. The glass negative was cracked and then discarded by Gardner after he had made just a single print from it. Date: February 5, 1865.

Credit: Looking for Lincoln, Knopf Books

Looking for Lincoln dissects the myths that have grown up around Abraham Lincoln.

In the film, host Henry Louis Gates Jr. shows how the Lincoln legend grew out of controversy, greed, love, clashing political perspectives, power struggles and considerable disagreement over how the 16^th president should be remembered. His quest to piece together Lincoln’s complex life takes him from Illinois to Gettysburg to Washington, DC, and face-to-face with people who live with Lincoln every day — relic hunters, re-enactors and others for whom the study of Lincoln is a passion. Looking for Lincoln episode 1 airs Friday, January 25, 2013 at 7 p.m. followed immediately by episode 2 at 8 p.m. on WXXI World (DT21.2/cable 524).