Inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, March 4, 1861. There were several photographers present at this seminal event, some quite close to the platform (where Lincoln stands under the wood canopy), but the only surviving photographs are those taken from a distance. This picture by an unknown photographer shows some of the scaffolding being used to replace the Capitol dome and a portion of the closely packed crowd—which includes reporters, and perhaps Southern agents, who will convey the new president’s words to the leaders and people of the Confederacy.