Object Details
- depicted
- Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson)
- Lincoln, Abraham
- Lincoln, Mary Todd
- publisher
- Leslie, Frank
- depicted
- Grant, Julia Dent
- Sherman, William Tecumseh
- Sumner, Charles
- Meade, George Gordon
- Hooker, Joseph
- Johnson, Andrew
- Sarony, Major, & Knapp
- Description
- Considered to be the last formal image of Lincoln from life, this lithograph depicts the President in an ornate White House ballroom. Here, on March 4, 1865 from 8 to 11 P.M., over 6,000 people celebrated the second inauguration of President Lincoln. Prominent guests greeted by Lincoln and the First Lady include Vice President Andrew Johnson, General and Mrs. Grant, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gen. Joseph Hooker, Gen. George Gordon Meade, and Sen. Charles Sumner.
- This well-known image was issued as an incentive for subscribers of Frank Leslie’s Chimney Corner Family Newspaper, but could also be purchased separately for $3.00. Frank Leslie (1821-1880) was a British-born publisher and engraver, who produced several newspapers and journals in the mid-19th century. Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper was popular during the Civil War for its detailed battlefield illustrations. This print was copyrighted April 8, 1865, a week prior to Lincoln’s assassination, and was dedicated to the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. As an added incentive, a key indicating the identity of 37 prominent guests was issued in Volume 4 of the paper, although the assassination occurred before that issue appeared. After Lincoln’s death, the great demand for Lincoln images led rival printers to pirate the scene, altering it slightly before publishing it as their own. Lithographer Anton Hohenstein and publisher John Smith titled their controversial copy, “Abraham Lincoln’s Last Reception.”
- This print was produced by Sarony, Major, & Knapp. Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896) was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, developing his own cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, he partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and the duo created lithography firm of Sarony & Major. Joseph F. Knapp joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. Sarony departed the business in the mid-1860s to pursue photography fulltime and by the 1870s, the firm shifted it production from decorative prints to the more profitable field of advertising. It expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, which produced calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930, it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Credit Line
- Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
- 1865
- ID Number
- DL.60.2587
- catalog number
- 60.2587
- accession number
- 228146
- Object Name
- Lithograph
- Object Type
- Lithograph
- Physical Description
- paper (overall material)
- ink (overall material)
- Measurements
- image: 14 7/8 in x 20 1/4 in; 37.7825 cm x 51.435 cm
- overall: 17 3/4 in x 22 in; 45.085 cm x 55.88 cm
- place made
- United States: New York, New York City
- depicted
- United States: District of Columbia, White House
- See more items in
- Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
- NMAH Reception Suite
- Clothing & Accessories
- American Civil War Prints
- Art
- Peters Prints
- Domestic Furnishings
- National Museum of American History
- Subject
- Communication, magazines
- U.S. National Government, executive branch
- Lighting
- Furnishings
- Uniforms, Military
- Architecture, Historic Residences
- referenced
- Civil War
- related event
- Presidential Inauguration of 1865
- Record ID
- nmah_324898
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b5-1810-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
