Abraham Lincoln Signed Carte-de-Visite.

LINCOLN, Abraham.

Item Number: 124196

Rare original Anthony Berger carte-de-visite signed by Abraham Lincoln as President; the most recognizable portrait of Lincoln which was later used as the model for the Lincoln cent. Original mounted albumen photograph double ruled in gilt with “Brady’s National Photographic Portrait Galleries” stamp to the verso. Boldly signed by Abraham Lincoln, “A Lincoln.” With an additional inscription on the verso which reads, “Contributed for the benefit of the S.A.S. of Westford Mass. at their Levee Dec. 14th, 1864 by Mr. Lincoln.” Through the use of many paid assistants, renowned 19th century portraitist Mathew B. Brady produced thousands of photographs documenting the American Civil War, including portraits of Lincoln, Grant and both Union and Confederate soldiers in camps and battlefields. The body of work created by Brady’s photographers (including Anthony Berger, Alexander Gardner and Timothy O’Sullivan) has become the most important visual documentation of the Civil War. Taken on February 9, 1864 by the manager of Brady’s Washington studio, Anthony Berger, this, the most recognizable portrait of the 16th president of the United States, was later used by Victor David Brenner to create the Lincoln cent. During this same sitting, Berger also took the photograph of Lincoln that would later appear on the five dollar bill. The present example was signed by Lincoln to help the Sanitary Association of Westford, Massachusetts raise funds for Unions soldiers toward the end Civil War. An example at Heritage Auction brought 175,000 in 2006. In near fine condition. An exceptional piece.

Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, the country's greatest moral, cultural, constitutional, and political crisis, and in doing so preserved the Union of the United States of America, abolished slavery, and strengthened the federal government. Lincoln ran for President in 1860, sweeping the North in victory. The South was outraged by Lincoln's election, and in response secessionists implemented plans to leave the Union before he took office in March 1861. War began in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, just over a month after Lincoln's inauguration and, after years of deadly military conflict, officially ended on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Battle of Appomattox Court House. On April 14, 1865, just days after the war's end at Appomattox, Lincoln was attending a play at Ford's Theatre with his wife Mary when he was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln is remembered as the martyr hero of the United States and is consistently ranked as one of the greatest presidents in American history.