How History Unfolds on Paper: Important Americana from the Eric C. Caren Collection, Part X

1. Copy of a Drawing of the Skull of Charles J. Guiteau
No place, no date (likely ca. 1880s-90s). Printed copy of a drawing; manuscript at bottom, "Skull of Guiteau / by Dr Lamb of Army Med Museum". Unevenly toned; soiling and creasing; foxing; scattered closed tears along edges. 12 3/4 x 10 1/4 in. (324 x 260 mm).

2. Four-Portrait Mugshot of Guiteau
Label on verso "Copyright, 1882 by C.M. Bell. Forbes Albertype, Boston". Printed caption at bottom recto, "Charles J. Guiteau. / From Photographs Taken by C.M. Bell, Washington, D.C., July 4, 1881." Mounted to board. Soiling and wear. Image: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (222 x 159 mm).

3. Cabinet Card of Guiteau's Brain
No place, no date. Cabinet card, manuscript in pencil on verso, "Guiteau". Light foxing and soiling. 4 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (114 x 165 mm).

On July 2, 1881, Charles Guiteau stepped out of a crowd at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C., and fired two shots from behind into the body of President James A. Garfield. For months Guiteau had been stalking President Garfield, believing that he had played an outsized role in the president's victory in the 1880 election and was therefore owed a position in the administration. Over two months Garfield's condition, exacerbated by poor medical treatment, gradually deteriorated, until he finally expired on September 19.

In the lead-up to Guiteau's trial, his defense hired Dr. Charles Edward Spitzka as an expert witness to bolster their claim that Guiteau was not guilty by reason of insanity. Dr. Spitzka testified that Guiteau was not only insane, but a "moral monstrosity." Despite this analysis, Guiteau was found guilty and executed by hanging on June 30, 1882. Guiteau's remains were then dissected in the hopes of finding some trace of abnormality in his brain or in the shape of his skull. An alienist, neurologist, and anatomist, Spitzka likely kept these materials after the trial as mementos and reference materials.