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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Was Abraham Lincoln a man of color who changed his identity to avoid being lynched?

By Sarah Thompson
NO

There's a photo of a man with a long, gaunt face and a beard who appears to be a man of color. He has often been identified as President Abraham Lincoln.

The man pictured is an unidentified person who sat for a portrait by Augustus Washington, a free man of color who worked as a daguerreotypist. Washington was born in New Jersey and emigrated to Liberia in 1853, where he took portraits of African American emigres, such as the one pictured, who returned to Africa.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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