25802

Highly Important 1864 Abraham Lincoln Portrait Ca

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Historical Memorabilia Start Price:42,500.00 USD Estimated At:45,000.00 - 65,000.00 USD
Highly Important 1864 Abraham Lincoln Portrait Ca
<B>Highly Important 1864 Abraham Lincoln Portrait Campaign Banner</B></I> Of course the most important aspect of this banner is that it is for Lincoln, by far the most-collected of any president or candidate. It features a highly distinctive portrait, unique to our experience, and comes from the much tougher 1864 election. To appreciate this banner one need only turn to Herbert Collins' monumental <I>Threads of History,</B></I> long the definitive reference work on American political textiles. Collins, who was curator of the political collection at the Smithsonian Institution, had access to all of the top institutional and private collections in the country when putting together his 1979 volume. Not counting bandanas, Collins lists just ten Lincoln portrait banners, six of which are commercially-made campaign flags. Not a single one of these banners is from the 1864 campaign, and except for a couple of Civil War patriotic bandanas, he lists no textile showing Abe wearing a beard! Like the hugh 1844 Henry Clay banner offered earlier in this catalog from the same source, it is in a remarkable state of preservation owing to the Hershey family's diligent care. It has no staining whatsoever, and only two trivial small tears at the bottom corners. The cloth has evenly "aged" a bit from its presumed original white to a soft beige tone. The perimeter is irregular in places, and rusty nail holes indicate that the edge was once folded around a wood stretcher-type frame. It would probably be a good idea to remount it in that same fashion, but we will leave that decision to the buyer. A literally "once in a lifetime" opportunity to obtain one of the great Lincoln political artifacts, and one of the best of all surviving American political banners! Measures 43" x 50". Lot:258