Fact Check

Is This a Real Photo of Abraham Lincoln With a Cat in his Lap?

It is unlikely the two creatures inhabiting this photo lived in the same century.

by Alex Kasprak, Published Feb. 21, 2023 Updated Feb. 22, 2023



Claim:
A photograph authentically shows Abraham Lincoln with a cat on his lap.
Rating:
False

About this rating

Context

This is a composite image that mixes prolific civil war photographer William Brady's January 1864 portrait of the U.S. president with a stock photograph of a cat.


A picture of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln seated with a cat has been shared online since at least as early as 2018: 

The photograph is manipulated, though. The Lincoln portion comes from a Jan. 8, 1864, photo-portrait session with noted Civil War photographer Mathew Brady:

The cat portion, meanwhile, comes from a stock photograph on the website Shutterstock that was contributed by Steve Heap and described as "bengal cat in light brown and cream looking with pleading stare at the viewer with space for advertizing and text."

Because the photograph is a composite image of people or animals that lived well over a century apart, we rate this claim as "False."


By Alex Kasprak

Alex Kasprak is an investigative journalist and science writer reporting on scientific misinformation, online fraud, and financial crime.

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