Lincoln’s Legacy: Historic Americana from the Life of Abraham Lincoln

Victorian ebonized wooden side chair with original rush seat, purportedly used at Ford's Theatre during the 14 April 1865 performance of Our American Cousin; with a heart-shaped back with two baluster and ring-turned spindles over an ovoidal seat; worked with rush in quarter pattern. On turned legs with splayed feet joined by two rod stretchers to sides. Some minor scratches and cracks, repaired break to proper left leg, restored paint rubbed away in some areas, other possible repairs and restoration hidden, particularly to proper front left chair leg; underside of chair held in place with later netting. 34 x 14 x 15 1/2 in. (863 x 355 x 393 mm).

The 14 April 1865 performance of Our American Cousin was one of the most well-attended of Ford's Theatre at that time. Approximately 1,600 people are known to have attended the performance, many just to catch a glimpse of President Lincoln and the First Lady. Following the fatal shot chaos ensued. Souvenir hunters almost immediately began to grab everything they could from the theater before federal troops sealed the building. The lights were dimmed in the theater as soon as the President had been moved out of the building, but that did not stop stragglers from lingering inside. The play's star, Laura Keene, was known to have paced in front of the ticket window shouting, "For God's sake, try to capture the murderer!" Federal troops swarmed the building, while shouting , "Get out of here! We're going to burn this damned building down!" For the remainder of the evening a detail of the Union Light Guard patrolled Tenth Street between E and F, keeping concerned citizens and curiosity seekers at bay.

This chair was purportedly placed in one of the other boxes at Ford's Theatre but was not used, as none of the other boxes were occupied that night. At least five chairs of a similar style were known to have been placed in those boxes that night, and contemporary illustrations of chairs used in the presidential box depict designs very similar to the present lot. A chair similar in design to the present example is known to have been placed in one of the boxes across from the president's box. It is pictured on p. 45 of Furnishings Plan for the Restored Ford's Theatre and Its Annexes by George J. Olzewski, and it was used in to help recreate the look of the theater, during its restoration in the 1960s.

Provenance:

Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California

Exhibition:

The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America, at the Huntington Library, October 1993-August 1994

Blood on the Moon, at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, 19 April-16 October 2005