But why did he choose that particular look? As you may know, he grew the beard in response to a letter written by 11-year-old Grace Bedell who thought that it would help him win votes.
Lincoln had a wide range of beards to choose from. I've taken small illustrations from a turn-of-the-century barber's manual and imagined what Abe would have looked like if he had gone with a different style of facial hair.
Mouse over the kinds of beards to see how it would have looked on Abe's face.