Ye olde photoshoppe: The first ever altered images (including two pictures stitched together to make iconic portrait of Abraham Lincoln)


Here's the proof that photo fakery is nothing new.

These days magazine 'artists' can indulge every whim of the vainest covergirls, but pictures involving celebrities have been modified for many a long year.



Take this 150-year-old portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, in which he looks every bit the all-American hero. All is not as it appears - as although it is undoubtedly the 16th Commander in Chief's face staring at the camera, the body in fact belongs to a prominent southern politician.

It has led to claims the 1860 portrait, stitched together from two pictures as 'no sufficiently heroic portrait of Lincoln had yet been taken', could be the first ever Photoshopped image.

And a study of interesting images from down the years show how the art of photograph trickery has developed over time.



Stitched up: This portrait of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (left) is a composite of Lincoln's head and the body of southern politician John Calhoun (pictured right)

Fake: The photo on the left appears to be of General Ulysses S Grant in front of his troops at City Point, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It is in fact created from three pictures, the head from a portrait of Grant; the horse and body from Major General Alexander M McCook; and the background of Confederate prisoners captured

Digital forensics expert Dr Hany Farid said: 'Although we may have the impression that photographic tampering is something relatively new - a product of the digital age - the reality is that history is riddled with photographic fakes.'

Farid, from Dartmouth College, said the air-brushing of images by brutal dictators took place as a matter of course.

He said Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro all indulged in a spot of pre-PC Photoshopping to eradicate enemies from pictures.

He added: 'Although there are many historical examples of photographic fakes, time-consuming and cumbersome darkroom techniques were required to create them.

Spot the difference: In Mathew Brady's photograph General Sherman is seen posing with his Generals (left). But General Francis P Blair was in fact later added to the original picture

Out of the picture: Russian dictator Josef Stalin routinely air-brushed his enemies out of photographs. In this snap a commissar was removed from the original photograph after falling out with him

'And so it wasn't unreasonable for most people to believe that they could put their trust in photographs.'

Farid has published a series of pre-digital age doctored photographs on his website.

One appears to be of General Ulysses S Grant in front of his troops at City Point, Virginia, during the Civil War.



Altering history: This World War II photo, in Russian magazine Ogoniok, shows Russian soldiers raising the Soviet flag atop the German Reichstag building. The magazine's editor-in-chief removed a watch from the soldier's right arm, because of suspicion it had been looted as he also wore one on his left

All by himself: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini had the horse handler removed from the original photograph so he appeared more heroic

But, as he says researchers at the Library of Congress revealed, it is actually three different photographs merged together.

The head is taken from a portrait of Grant, the horse and body are those of Major General Alexander M McCook and the background is of Confederate prisoners captured at the battle of Fisher's Hill, VA.

In a third picture, by famed photographer Mathew Brady, General Sherman is seen posing with his Generals, including Francis P Blairr - who was in fact later added to the image.

In and out: Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler had Joseph Goebbels (second from the right) removed from the original picture after he fell out with him

Regal doctoring: King George VI was removed from the original photograph of himself, Queen Elizabeth and Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in Banff, Alberta, because, it is believed, the PM wanted to paint himself in a more powerful light



