Why are there no photos of Lincoln giving the Gettysburg Address He asked that no pictures be taken. Photographers did not have time to set up. The news media did not like him. It was raining too hard?
The Address is a relatively short and concise speech, lasting nolonger than three minutes. Given how much work it took to set up acamera in the 1860s (positioning, focus, exposure time), the speechwould have been over before anyone had a chance to take aphoto.