|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A fascinating political engraving, a revised state of a print originally issued to commemorate the Compromise of 1850. This political consensus was seen as the resolution of the tempest over the issue of free and slave states that had been tearing the Union apart. In Matteson's original composition, the individuals involved in the compromise are shown seated in a formal setting. The two major protagonists, Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, and "The Great Compromiser," Henry Clay are most prominent, shown around a bust of Washington, the former two with their hands on a copy of the United States Constitution. Arrayed around them are other important participants, including Lewis Cass, Winfield Scott, and Sam Houston. Liberty blesses the group from above, while in the background the curtains part to reveal the Utopia that the strengthened Union was seen as now proceeding towards. In the lower right corner Fillmore is shown holding an American shield above the 'thrown down' royal crown and scepter, a symbol of America's struggles of the past. Alas, despite its hopeful prognosis, this compromise was ultimately a failure, and it was soon to be followed by much bloodshed. [ Click here for first state of "Union." ]
In April 1861, Fort Sumter fell and the Civil War began. This led to a swell of enthusiasm in the North for the Union; a popular wave that print publishers were quick to try to ride. As Holzer, Boritt & Neely said, "Steel plates endure, but politics change rapidly." (p.69) A New York publisher, William Pate, saw the possibilities of Henry Sadd's engraving, so he had it reworked to bring it up-to-date for the 1861 issue of "Union." Pate had pro-Southern faces rubbed out and pro-Northern images inserted in their stead. Howell Cobb, W.P. Magnum, William R. King, and James Buchanan were replaced by Edward Everett, William H. Seward, Benjamin Butler, and Robert Anderson, respectively. The most important exchange was the elimination of James Calhoun and the insertion of Abraham Lincoln in his place. Interesting, though the print was obviously issued after the fall of Fort Sumter-evidenced by the inclusion of the "hero" Major Anderson-the print shows an anachronistically clean shaven Lincoln. The third state of the print, issued after Lincoln's assassination, was issued with a bearded Lincoln. $1,600
"A. Lincoln. President of the U.S." Cincinnati: Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co., ca. 1862. Folio, ca. 12 1/2 x 9 1/2. Lithograph by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. Very good condition.
Perhaps in late 1861, but certainly by mid-1862, the Cincinnati lithographic firm of Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. began to issue a series of portraits of Civil War figures: politicians as well as military and naval officers. These prints, which the firm continued to issue at least as late as 1864, were of a type published by other lithographic firms of the day, for instance Currier & Ives, E.B. & E.C. Kellogg, Gibson & Co., and J.H. Bufford. While of a familiar type of print, these Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. are quite unlike the prints by other publishers in one salient feature. As discussed in Milt Kaplan's "Heads of States," (Winterthur Portfolio 6. Charlottesville, 1970 Pp. 135-150.) prints of different figures share the same, or very similar backgrounds, with the identical horses, landscapes, troops, ships, desks, and so forth. While some of the backgrounds the firm used appear only in one print, others are shared by between three and five figures, and some even more. This particular background was used for all the political figures, of which nine are know, including Lincoln, members of his cabinet, and mid-west governors. In each case a different head is attached to the same body. The Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. prints were issued separately for those in the mid-west who wanted to have these images of Union heroes and they have also been found in bound portfolios. However they are found, they are quite rare. $525
"Washington and Lincoln. The Father And The Saviour Of Our Country." New York: Currier & Ives, 1865. Lithograph. Medium folio; 15 x 11. Some old stains, but overall very good condition. C:6510.
Currier & Ives, "America's Printmakers," issued many prints on current political and social themes, and during the Civil War these included a large number with a pro-Union bent. This is one of the best examples of that genre, a print showing George Washington shaking the hand of Abraham Lincoln before the eternal flame of Liberty. This tied together the "Father of his Country" with the President trying to preserve that country, as a Union and as the support of liberty throughout the world. $750
"President Lincoln at Home, Reading the Scriptures to his Wife and Son." New York: Currier & Ives, 1865. Medium folio. Oval, 12 1/4 x 9 3/4. Very good condition. C:4882.
A moving image of Lincoln reading the Bible with Mary and Tad. Probably issued just before his assassination. $500
After S. J. Ferris. “Washington & Lincoln. (Apotheosis).” ca. 1865. Charcoal drawing. 19 1/2 x 15 1/2. Very good condition. In fine nineteenth century frame.
From the beginning of Abraham Lincoln’s national political career, campaign promoters paired him with George Washington, hoping that the Founding Father’s reputation would rub off on the young politician. Throughout his unusually trying season in the White House, Lincoln was compared again with Washington, as both men had taken the nation through difficult times. After Lincoln was assassinated, the pairing spread everywhere: as Americans mourned the late president, they purchased images of his arrival in heaven, where image makers imagined he was being welcomed by George Washington.
In 1865, Stephen J. Ferris participated in this trend, producing an image that was published by Philadelphian J.A. Arthur. Educated at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Paris, Ferris was a highly-trained and influential Philadelphia artist whose paintings and prints were exhibited throughout the and Europe. His image demonstrates that even fine artists took part in the elevation of Lincoln to American icon through the pairing of the sixteenth president with the first. In a shaft of heavenly light, Washington lifts Lincoln through the clouds to his eternal rest, where a crown of laurels awaits him and confirms his achievements as the Preserver of the Union. In some printed versions of Ferris’ image, a crowd of angels crouch from the clouds to beckon the two men. Like many images pairing the two, the picture was so popular as to be reproduced in carte-de-visite form and copied by at least one amateur artist working in charcoal.
For admirers and students of art, copying prints was a common way to practice their own skills and enjoy the works of others. Such is the case here, in a very competent charcoal drawing produced by an anonymous amateur artist. His (or her) rendering retains a cast of the naïve, giving the piece a very folk-art-like appearance. Quite possibly, the image was copied from the carte-de-visite which accompanies the drawing, as both feature the same basic composition, a slightly edited version of the original. Both objects offer strong evidence for the deep-seated affection that the American public had for Washington and Lincoln, an affection and admiration that endures today.
Henry B. Major & Joseph Knapp. “Grand Reception of the Notabilities of the Nation, at the White House 1865.” New York: Frank Leslie, 1865. 14 7/8 x 20 3/8. Lithography by Major & Knapp. Good margins, with some wear, tears and smudging. Otherwise, very good condition.
According to Holzer, Boritt and Neely (The Lincoln Image, p. 145), this print had a copyright date of April 8, 1865, just a week before the assignation of Lincoln, and thus would likely be the last print issued during Lincoln’s lifetime. The print shows Lincoln, with Mrs. Lincoln by his side, at a “Grand Reception” in the White House. Lincoln is shown receiving General and Mrs. Grant in a room filled with most of the notable figures of the government and army. As Boritt, Neely and Holzer say, “The picture froze in time the Lincoln who might have emerged from his years of unrelieved melancholy–the catharsis denied him by John Wilkes Booth.” (ibid., p.144f.)
This print was issued by Frank Leslie and it has a price of $3.00 printed on it. However, the print was actually intended as a free premium for subscribers to Frank Leslie’s Chimney Corner, a “New Family Paper.” This particular instance of the print was a broadside issued to advertise the paper and its premium. In the lower right, text is printed over the corner of the image explaining that “Every Person who pays Ten Cents each for numbers 1 and 2” of the paper will get the print for free. Leslie had a number of prints run off with this legend imprinted on them, and these would have been distributed throughout his outlets in order in increase the sale of the Chimney Corner. The cost of two, ten cent issues was not a bad deal for a $3.00 print. In order to keep his subscribers a bit longer, Leslie promised to issue a key to the print, to be published in volume 4 of the paper. This example of Leslie’s broadside is a fine example of the nineteenth century print market and also an excellent image of one of the last events in Lincoln’s presidency. $575
Albert Ruger. "Funeral Car used at the Obsequies of the late Pres. A. Lincoln at Columbus, O. April 29th. 1865." [Columbus: J.H. Studer, 1865.] 10 5/8 x 15 7/8. Lithograph by Ehrgott, Forbriger &Co.. Original hand color. Some repaired tears and chips in top margin. Very good condition.
Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. were an important lithographic publishing firm from Cincinnati who issued a wide variety of patriotic prints during the Civil War. (cf. above) They especially focused on prints of regional interest, where they had the advantages of access and knowledge of the local market over the bigger lithographic firms on the east coast. Much of their output was commissioned work by mid-western publishers and this is a nice example published by J.H. Studer of Columbus (publisher information on example of this print in Library of Congress).
After Lincoln's assassination, plans were made to send the body back by train to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois for burial. A route was planned that essentially retraced the route Lincoln took in 1861 as President-elect, though skipping Cincinnati and Pittsburgh and adding Chicago. The Lincoln Special, adorned on its cowcatcher with a portrait of Lincoln, carried approximately 300 mourners, leaving Washington on April 21, and arriving in Springfield on May 4th, having passed through Harrisburg, Philadelphia, New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Chicago. At each stop Lincoln was accorded great honors and mourned by thousands. In Columbus, where the train arrived on April 29, the coffin was pulled through the streets by a 17 foot long hearse to the State Capitol, where Lincoln lay in state throughout the day. This print, issued to satisfy the interest of a mourning public, shows the hearse approaching the Capitol building accompanied by a guard of honor. It is a fine example of regional American printmaking and a rare glimpse of a fascinating historical event in our history. $1,150
W.H. Pratt. "Proclamation of Emancipation." Davenport, Iowa: W.H. Pratt, 1865. Lithograph by A. Hageboeck. 11 3/8 x 9. Very good condition. Eberstadt 40. Holzer, Lincoln Seen and Heard, p.17.
In this artifact of Civil War Ameirca, fascination with Abraham Lincoln and the end of slavery coincide with the aesthetic tradition of fine penmanship and meticulous engraving. A popular format throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the calligraphy portrait is used here to unite the martyred president with his most famous document, the Emancipation Proclamation. Written either by W.H. Pratt or by E.C. Smith (examples crediting both exist), the calligraphic portrait is a masterful manipulation of letterform to achieve a well-known likeness and joins the plethora of images of Abraham Lincoln that came on the market after his assassination. Printed in Iowa, the state that sent the most soldiers to the front per capita in the Civil War, this print would have been a powerful visual reminder of one of the outcomes of a costly struggle. A popular image and a rare example of fine engraving from the a small printing center of the Midwest. $750
"Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth President of the United States. Born Feby. 12th. 1809. Died April 15th. 1865." New York: Kimmel & Forster, ca. 1865. Lithograph. Ca. 14 x 10. Wide margins. Excellent condition.
A stately memorial print to the assassinated President, issued shortly after his death on April 15th, 1865. Lincoln is shown 3/4rs, standing in front of a American shield draped in mourning. The print is signed, but the signature (F. Facks?) is hard to read. A handsome example of the type of print which would have hung in many homes of grieving Americans. $750
"The Funeral of President Lincoln, New York, April 25th. 1865. Passing Union Square." New York: Currier & Ives, 1865. Small folio. 8 x 13. Uncolored. C:2206.
Currier & Ives had much success with issuing "rush" prints of important events of the nineteenth century, which provided one of the few sources of graphic depictions for the general public. This is a fine example of this sort of print, showing Lincoln's funeral procession through New York. $575
"Abraham Lincoln. The Nations Martyr. Assassinated April 14th. 1865." Currier & Ives, 1865. Small folio. Vignette, ca. 10 1/2 x 9. Uncolored. Paper time toned. In early frame. C:26.
Another example of a "rush" print of Lincoln after his assassination. $675
Anton Hohenstein. "President Lincoln And Family Circle. Respectfully Dedicated To The People Of The United States." Philadelphia: John Smith, 1865. 18 5/8 x 24 3/4. Lithograph by A. Hohenstein. Some discoloration and repaired tears in margins (one extending just into lower neatline). One repaired crack (nearly invisible) at Lincoln's left leg. Lined on rice paper for stability. Overall, fine condition.
Lincoln's assassination inspired the publication of many prints about Lincoln, including portraits, scenes of the assassination, and images of earlier, happier times of Lincoln's life. A surprisingly large number of the latter prints showed Lincoln and his family in a domestic setting, giving the American public a glimpse of the private life of the martyred President, albeit one based more on the imagination of the artist than on reality. Modified from a painting by Francis Bicknell Carpenter (that J.C. Buttre made into an "official" print), this portrait of the Lincoln family was drawn by Anton Hohenstein and published by John Smith of Philadelphia shortly after the assassination. Lincoln's figure comes from the famous 1865 photograph of the President reading to Tad, here reversed and altered to show Tad holding the book, instead of his father, as in the photograph. Because Hohenstein wanted to show all three sons (including Willie who had died in 1862), Tad's place in the photograph was taken by Willie in the print, and a figure of Tad as a younger boy was added standing next to Mary. Dressed in a sized-down soldier's outfit, Tad mirrors his older brother Robert, who appears here in uniform. Overall, the image is an impossible construction by the artist, for there were only a very few times Robert was in Washington before Willie's death in 1862, and Robert didn't join the army until 1864. Of primary importance, though, was the symbolism of a Victorian ideal family for the martyred President, not verisimilitude, and this print well achieved its aim. The rendering of the surrounding furniture is very well done, and the figures are less crude than many of the other similar prints that were rushed to print after Lincoln was shot. This is a fascinating reflection of its time and a most interesting and attractive graphic image of Lincoln and his family. $575
William E. Marshall. "Abraham Lincoln." New York: Ticknor & Fields and Wm. E. Marshall, 1866. 20 5/8 x 15 7/8. Steel engraving by W.E. Marshall. Excellent condition.
A dignified, handsome formal bust length portrait of Lincoln, drawn, engraved and published by William E. Marshall. As soon as it was issued, this print was accepted as the finest portrait ever done of Lincoln, and in fact was claimed by a number of critics to be one of the finest engravings ever produced. Copies of this print were sent to many who knew Lincoln, and their reaction was uniformly enthusiastic. Amongst some who had high praise for the print were Robert Todd Lincoln, Gustave Dore, William Herndon, Edwin Stanton and Charles Sumner. Frederick Douglass even had the print on display in his home. As fine an example of American portraiture in print as one can find. $1,100
Samuel B. Waugh. "Lincoln and his Family." Philadelphia: Bradley & Co., 1866. 17 1/2 x 24 3/4 (image) 22 x 27 3/4 (full sheet). Mezzotint with engraving by William Sartain. Printed by Irwin & Sartain. Water stain along bottom edge of paper, with faint staining just into title area. Otherwise, an excellent impression in very good condition. Holzer et al., The Lincoln Image, Fig. 80.
This is one of most famous prints of Lincoln, a family portrait based on a painting of Samuel B. Waugh and engraved by William Sartain. This print was copied by many other nineteenth century print publishers, but none equaled the quality of this rich engraving. Lincoln is shown with his two sons and wife surrounded by elegant furnishings of the White House. The family is grouped around a covered table, upon which lie two books, including the Bible. Lincoln and Tad sit to the left, and above Lincoln’s right shoulder is a bust of George Washington, linking the martyred president with the ‘father of the nation.’ Outside the draped window is the outline of the Capitol dome, completed during Lincoln’s terms. Mary Lincoln sits to the right, and Robert stands in the center between his parents. Over Robert’s shoulder is a portrait of William Lincoln, who had died in 1862. At the time of its issue, this print was thought of as a first class example of print making, selling for as much as $20 for an artist’s proof, and $7.25 for a regular print. As Holzer, et al. remark, “In its day, the Sartain engraving was considered the best print portrait of the Lincoln family.” (p. 171) $950
Francis B. Carpenter. "The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation Before the Cabinet. From the original picture painted at the White House in 1864." New York: Carpenter, 1866. 21 x 32. Steel engraving by Alexander H Ritchie. Top right corner of margin repaired. Otherwise, very good condition. Holzer, et al., The Lincoln Image, fig. 57.
One of the most important of Lincoln prints, this large engraving after Carpenter's painting had much to do with the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation on the minds and hearts of Americans after the Civil War. Carpenter, who believed that the Proclamation was one of the great events of the nineteenth century, petitioned Lincoln to create an image of the event and then to publish a print to disseminate knowledge of it. Lincoln, who had made the Proclamation with the intent of its having an important political impact, was enthusiastic in helping Carpenter, even to the extent of letting him use the White House state dining room as his studio for six months. The resulting print was extremely successful, receiving critical acclaim and wide distribution. Each of the sitters for the print, from Lincoln through every cabinet member, ordered a copy of the print. Many derivative prints were issued, but this is the original image of this monumental act, published by Carpenter as a premium for the newspaper, The Independent. $1,250
"Abraham Lincoln." Boston: Bufford's Print Publishing House, ca. 1865. Lithograph. 11 1/2 x 9. Original hand color. Very good condition.
A portrait of Lincoln shown standing in front of the Capital Building. His hand rests upon a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, which lies on a table upon which also rests his top hat and cane. The print probably was issued shortly after his death as a black draped object (coffin?) with flowers on top stands just behind the nation's martyr. A striking and unusual mourning picture of Lincoln. $475
Ad. Biegemann. “Lincoln and His Family.” Philadelphia: William Smith, ca. 1866. 18 x 24. Lithograph by D. Wiest. Original color. Rear at top extending ca. 3” into image, and tear at bottom just touching image. Otherwise, very good condition. Holzer, et al., The Lincoln Image, Fig 87.
A very primitive rendering using the same theme as the print above. The publisher wanted to take advantage of the demand for images of the President without investing in a first-hand rendering. Thus his artist based the image of Lincoln on a photograph of the President and Tad taken in 1865. The image was reversed for the print, but because Biegemann wanted to show all three of Lincoln’s sons, including Willie who had died in 1862, the image of Tad from the photograph became Willie, and a figure of Tad as a younger boy was added. Robert is shown in uniform, even though he didn’t join the army until after the death of his brother Willie, near whom Robert is standing. The heads and bodies of all the figures are out of scale with each other, and the setting is most awkward. That such a print could be produced and sold by a major publishing house is an interesting reflection on the print market of the time, and a strong indication of the demand for images of Lincoln. $450
Ad. Biegemann. “Lincoln and His Family.” Philadelphia: William Smith, ca. 1866. 18 x 24. Lithograph by D. Wiest. Very good condition. Holzer, et al., The Lincoln Image, Fig 87. Another example of the print above, this one uncolored. $400
John H. Littlefield. "Lincoln." New York: William Pate & Co, 1869. 29 5/8 x 22 7/8. Engraving by Henry Gugler. Very good condition.
One of the largest and most impressive engraved portraits of Lincoln after a drawing by his former law student, John H. Littlefield. Littlefield worked for Lincoln during his campaign for President, being rewarded in 1862 with a position in the Treasury Department. Littlefield based his drawing on the Brady photograph used for the five-dollar bill, using the size and a strong line to bring out the grandeur of Lincoln visage. Henry Gugler, who took three years at a cost of $3,500 annually to make the print, produced this striking engraving that richly presents Littlefield's image. Gugler worked as an engraver at the National Note Bureau and this is considered his finest work. It is one of the most desirable and hard to find of all Lincoln portraits. $1,500
T. Johnson. [Abraham Lincoln] Late 19th century engraving. 13 5/8 x 10. Very good condition.
A finely executed profile engraving of our sixteenth president by T. Johnson. $475
Rudolf Bohunek. [Abraham Lincoln.] Springfield: Illinois Watch Company, ca. 1913. Print 10 x 7; frame 14 x 11. Chromolithograph on canvas. In original gold frame. Excellent condition.
A wonderful chromolithograph portrait of Lincoln that is an advertisement for the Illinois Watch Company's Lincoln watch. The company was formed in 1870 and its first president was John T. Stuart, Lincoln's first law partner, and it always played up its connection with the slain President. In 1907, the company introduced the "A. Lincoln" watch, which proved a great success, selling over 100,000 Lincoln watches between then and 1928. In 1913, the company hired Rudolf Bohunek to make a portrait of Lincoln which they had turned into this chromolithograph. Bohunek, born in Bohemia and trained in Prague, worked in New Orleans from 1909 to 1911, then settled in Chicago in 1913, the year this print was first produced. He based the image on an 1864 photograph of Lincoln by Anthony Berger. The print was sent to watch dealers around the country to be used to help promote the Lincoln watch. In the lower right is a stamped medallion naming the Illinois Watch Company and advertising "The Lincoln Watch." $450
"Lincoln Family." Photograph: Carte de visite format. Ca. 5 x 3".
A photograph of a composite image using Brady photograph of Lincoln reading to Tad, superimposing image of Mrs. Lincoln seated next to her husband and Robert in military uniform standing behind his father's chair. Note: though Willie's death is acknowledged by his absence from the picture, Mrs. Lincoln is not shown in mourning dress. Cartes de visite, so named for their size (which resembled a small calling card), became popular in the 1850s and 1860s. Using a specially-designed camera, eight different poses could be printed on one sheet of photographic paper, then cut up and mounted on small, pocket-sized cardstock. The same photographic technology that allowed loved ones to exchange likenesses also afforded thousands of Americans the opportunity to own pocket-sized portraits of public figures, including most prominently Abraham Lincoln. $125
Click
here for a page with cartes de visite of Lincoln and his
contemporaries.
Return to Presidential portraits page
For more information call, write, fax or e-mail to:
8441 Germantown Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118 USA
(215) 242-4750 [Phone]
(215) 242-6977 [Fax]
PhilaPrint@PhilaPrintShop.com
©The Philadelphia Print Shop, Ltd. Last updated December 27, 2009
Place Order 
