Man claims previously unidentified photos show President Lincoln's memorial procession through New York City

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Photos taken in April 1865 by Civil War photographer Matthew Brady appear to show Lincoln's hearse going past Grace Episcopal Church
Discovery made be retired federal employee looking through Brady photographs on Flickr
National Archives says it's inconclusive whether the photos are of Lincoln's procession
Processions held in many cities during the 13-day trip between Washington and Springfield, Illinois where Lincoln is buried

Published: 12:56 EST, 21 March 2014 | Updated: 14:22 EST, 21 March 2014

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A photo taken in April 1865 shows a huge crowd of people standing on both sides of Broadway in New York City as a blurred image in the center, possibly of a horse-drawn hearse, commands their attention.

Now, a Maryland man says the photo, along with another overlooked one, is of President Abraham Lincoln's funeral procession less than two weeks after the leader was assassinated.

Retired federal government accountant Paul Taylor believes the photos were taken on April 24 or 25, 1865 in front of Grace Episcopal Church, which still stands today on the corner of Broadway and E. 10th St. in Manhattan.

A Maryland man claims this 1865 photo shows President Lincoln's funeral procession passing by Grace Episcopal Church in New York City with the horse-drawn caisson as a blur in the center

A second photograph taken the same day as the first one (above) appears to show a crowd in front of Grace Episcopal Church during Lincoln's funeral procession

Funeral processions were held across some American cities, including New York City, following Lincoln's assassination as a way for citizens to pay homage to their fallen leader.

Adding more intrigue to the mystery is the fact that the photos were taken by the famous Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, who had a studio across the street from the church at the time.

One of the photos shows a huge crowd in front of a church, some with heads bowed, as a blur in the center, presumably a funeral caisson, passes by. Men and women are dressed up, men with top hats and ladies with umbrellas shielding themselves from the sun's rays. A second photo shows a large crowd in front of the church, including some soldiers standing by.

Richard Sloan, an expert on the Lincoln funeral ceremonies in New York, tells The Washington Post he's convinced that Taylor is right about the photos.

A confirmed photo showing a crowd in New York City's Union Square as President Lincoln's procession approaches

President Lincoln's body laid in state at City Hall in New York City for a day

'It’s a big deal,' Sloan said. 'What makes it even a bigger deal is to be able to study the people. Even though you can’t see faces that well, just studying the people tells a story.'

Officials at the National Archives, which has had possession of most of Matthew Brady's photographs since the 1940s, aren't so sure, saying there could be other explanations. One official said that if the photos were of such an historic event, then why was there no caption on the photos indicating so.

This portrait of President Abraham Lincoln was taken four days before he was assassinated

Taylor actually found the photos in January while browsing through some Brady photographs on the Flickr photo-sharing site.

'I was just struck by the scene,'Taylor said. “That is not your normal scene in front of church. There’s just people everywhere: the streets, the sidewalks, the roof. They’re in the trees. This is not your normal Sunday.'

After Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., the president's body spent 13 days by train on its way to the burial in Springfield, Illinois. Along the way, processions were held in cities that also included Baltimore and Philadelphia.

When the procession was in New York, an estimated 500,000 people lined the route.