Photography as an art form and photographs as a social force are intertwined in The Cooper Union's resonant history. In the College's earliest hours, an aspirant to high political office spoke in the Great Hall. His eloquent exposition galvanized a movement that swept the speaker to the Republican nomination and into the White House. Later, reflecting on the circumstances of his election, President Abraham Lincoln attributed his feat to two circumstances. He declared that Cooper Union and Mathew Brady "made me President."

Prior to delivering his "Right Makes Might" speech at Cooper Union, the aspiring candidate visited the photographic studios of Mathew Brady, located a few blocks south on Broadway. The photographer had a devilish time disguising Abe Lincoln's elongated neck. By repeatedly tugging up Lincoln's collar, the portraitist finally succeeded in making him look sufficiently "Presidential." The photograph adorned widely circulated copies of the speech. Little did the orator imagine that, within a few bloody years, the photographer would be celebrated for the artistry and import of his battlefield chronicle. Through the camera's lens, Mathew Brady captured a defining schism in the nation's decisive years.

Almost a century and a half later, how appropriate that a cadre of colleagues, in Cooper Union's School of Art, should create a telling account of a defining episode in New York City's history. The photographic exhibition in the College's Houghton Gallery is a tribute to the artistry of Professors Margaret Morton and Christine Osinski and Dean Robert Rindler. The discerning eye of each artist has captured a critical aspect of the City's human and physical dimension. Together, the complementary images frame the context and challenge of another social schism: Shall today's urban divisiveness be followed by tomorrow's healing?

The mastery of three photographers cannot resolve the central urban dilemma. Yet their penetrating portrayal of metropolitan life beyond the glitz--a human-scale battleground for the soul of the City--forcefully heightens civic awareness. Urban options are etched. Alternatively subtle and stark, their work underscores once again the camera's social import. On the centennial of the City's consolidation, The Cooper Union's proud heritage of urban engagement is enriched by the compelling photography of three uniquely skilled colleagues.