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

Single oblong card; 2 x 3 3/4 in. (51 x 95 mm); rubbing and wear along edges; penciled notations on verso.

Faux-business card printed during the 1864 presidential election, presumably by the Democratic National Committee of Springfield, advertising Lincoln's services as a lawyer beginning on 4 March 1865.

The 1864 presidential election was, according to the Miller Center, remarkable for having taken place at all, as the country was then three years into a civil war that had seen various Constitutional provisions suspended throughout the North. Though a group of Republican dissidents known as the Radical Republicans had initially put forth John C. Fremont to challenge Lincoln for the presidency, Fremont eventually withdrew and endorsed the incumbent, leaving former Commanding General of the United States Army and Democratic candidate George B. McClellan as Lincoln's only challenger. In a bid to attract additional support for his bid, Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket, which was a wartime coalition of Republicans and pro-Union Democrats, with Democrat Andrew Johnson replacing Hannibal Hamlin as Lincoln's running mate. The Lincoln-Johnson ticket ultimately emerged victorious with a 212-21 vote in the Electoral College.

The text of the card reads, "My old customers, and others, are no doubt aware of the terrible time I have had in crossing the stream, and will be glad to know that I will be back, on the same side from which I started, on or before the Fourth of March next, when I will be ready to swap horses, dispense law, make jokes, split rails, and perform other matters in a small way."

Provenance:

Louise Taper, Beverly Hills, California