[LINCOLN WHITE HOUSE]. LINCOLN, Mary Todd (1818-1882). Partly engraved invitation to a White House ball, Washington, D.C., 5 February 1862.

Narrow oblong 32mo (140 x 76 mm), mounted on black card, accomplished in manuscript by Mary Todd. Issued to Congressman Thomas Dawes Eliot of Massachusetts and his wife, Caroline.

On 5 February 1862, over 500 of Washington's high society filed into the White House for a grand ball hosted by Mary Lincoln to showcase the newly redecorated Residence. The affair, which took place less than a year into the Civil War, was heavily criticized for its extravagance, despite assurances from Benjamin Brown French that the $1,000 tab was paid by the president himself. Lincoln's secretary, John Hay, wrote to his fiancée, "I will not attempt the labor of a detailed description of the affair…Suffice it to say that the East Room was filled with well dressed guests, looking very beautiful and the supper was magnificent, and that when all else was over, by way of an interesting finale the servants (a couple of them) much moved by wrath and wine had a jolly little knock-down in the kitchen damaging in its effects to sundry heads and champagne bottles….”

Known but little mentioned were the two Lincoln boys upstairs, bedridden and near death, suffering from a "bilious fever" brought on by contaminated water systems at the White House. One of that night's guests, Jessie Fremont, would later write, "It was announced officially that on account of the illness in the house there would be no dancing; but the Marine Band at the foot of the steps filled the house with music while the boy lay dying above. A sadder face than that of the President I have rarely seen. He was receiving at the large door of the East Room, speaking to the people as they came, but feeling so deeply that he spoke of what he felt and thought, instead of welcoming the guests. To Gen. Frémont he at once said that his son was very ill and that he feared for the result. On seeing his sad face and grieved appearance, the feeling with which we had gone gave way to pity, and after expressing our hopes for the lad’s recovery we passed on to make our respects to the President’s wife." Two weeks later, Willie Lincoln passed away in what was then known as the Prince of Wales Room.

This lot is located in Chicago.