[TAFT ON A RAFT] [PRESIDENTS] [FISHING] Two photographs of then-Secretary of War William Howard Taft fishing on Brandreth Lake by [TAFT, William Howard] Frederick Potter, Photographer - [`904]

[Brandreth Lake, New York], [`904]. Two sepia prints, each measuring about 4.75" x 3.75", mounted to cardstock with about 1" border. Prints in very good condition, with mild fading to edges (though this may be the quality of the exposure). One mount has a corner chip, else in excellent condition. The two images depict three figures in a fishing canoe, who are helpfully named in contemporary pencil on the verso of both images. The verso text reads: "Taken by Frederick Potter, May, 1904, at Brandreth Lake. Wm. H. Taft, in the stern of the boat, H. C. Hollister in the bow. Curt Hull, Guide." At the time, Taft was serving as Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of War. Howard C. Hollister was an Ohio jurist, and when Taft became President, he appointed Hollister to a newly created position as District Court Judge for Southern Ohio. For those who celebrate the whimsy of presidential politics and history, it's worth noting that the images do indeed depict the 27th president's ability to displace water.