The audio below, featuring a reading by Louise Brealey and Mark Strong, is taken from the Letters of Note audiobook.
![Thought to be the last beardless photo of Abraham Lincoln, taken in 1860 by Preston Butler](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_728,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1380ec1d-54b2-4ea9-aacf-7f31d416016f_1670x1058.png)
On this day in 1860, having recently seen a picture of him without facial hair, an 11-year-old girl named Grace Bedell decided to write to Republican candidate and future U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, with a single suggestion that would…
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