I checked with Tom Schwartz and James Cornelius at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill. Below is Schwartz's reply, on behalf of both of them. I'm not surprised -- the photo looks nothing like President Lincoln, and the clothes are from the wrong period. Sorry to bust anybody's bubble.
"James and my views on this image are being misrepresented by the owner. Both of us have stated to the owner that the image, in our opinion, is NOT Abraham Lincoln. I have received more than one email from other experts being approached that James and I have been cited as validating the image. We have not nor ever have stated the image is Abraham Lincoln.
"The obvious hint is that he does not look like Lincoln. But other things jump out such as the clothing not being right for the claimed time period and that, depending on what date you put it at, photography either did not exist or was not available on the frontier.
"I think the fact I an answering your query shows the misuse of the Internet and how quickly misinformation spreads."
"James and my views on this image are being misrepresented by the owner. Both of us have stated to the owner that the image, in our opinion, is NOT Abraham Lincoln. I have received more than one email from other experts being approached that James and I have been cited as validating the image. We have not nor ever have stated the image is Abraham Lincoln.
"The obvious hint is that he does not look like Lincoln. But other things jump out such as the clothing not being right for the claimed time period and that, depending on what date you put it at, photography either did not exist or was not available on the frontier.
"I think the fact I an answering your query shows the misuse of the Internet and how quickly misinformation spreads."