David Hunter Strother (American, 1816-1888)
An original "from life" field sketch and a later caricature of President Abraham Lincoln rendered during his visit to Antietam, 2-3 October 1862.
Both pen and ink drawings, each mounted on larger cardstock; the smaller sketch mounted on black album stock, the verso bearing an additional sketch of an unidentified individual. Largest 12 × 8 in.; smallest 3 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. Minor stains, a slight crease, and a small closed tear to the smaller sketch.
A RARE ORIGINAL SKETCH “FROM LIFE” AND A LATER CARICATURE OF PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN, EXECUTED DURING THE ARTIST’S VISIT TO THE BATTLEFIELD OF ANTIETAM, OCTOBER 1862, THE LATTER NOTABLY DEPICTING THE PRESIDENT’S TEETH.
President Abraham Lincoln arrived at the Antietam battlefield in the late afternoon of 2 October 1862. Lieutenant Colonel David Hunter Strother—then serving on the staff of General George B. McClellan—had first met Lincoln a year earlier at the White House, describing him as possessing “an air of unreserved and honest affability.” Strother encountered Lincoln again during the President’s post-battle visit, recording the occasion in his diary: “October 2, Thursday… The President came in the afternoon and was received without ceremony. Afterwards rode out with McClellan and staff to see the battlefield… After dark the President and suite came in from the battlefield and went to dinner. Two bands vied with each other in discoursing sweet music while the laughter at the President’s hard jokes filled up the intervals until I went to sleep” (A Virginia Yankee in the Civil War: The Diaries of David Hunter Strother, p. 121).
Before the Civil War, Strother was a celebrated illustrator whose work frequently appeared in Harper’s Weekly under the pseudonym “Porte Crayon.” He was especially known for his depictions of Virginia life and his illustrations relating to John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. With the outbreak of war, Strother volunteered for Union service as a topographical officer. Throughout the conflict, he maintained detailed journals filled with sketches—largely caricatures of fellow officers and acquaintances—and he took the opportunity to sketch Lincoln during the President’s visit to Antietam.
Though a committed Unionist, Strother viewed both Southern secessionists and Northern abolitionists with equal skepticism. The tension between Lincoln and McClellan was evidently apparent during the visit, as reflected in the caricature presented here, captioned by Strother “A practical reminder” (later retitled The Little Napoleon). The image portrays Lincoln teasing McClellan as the general peers through a spyglass toward Richmond. A more finished version of this composition is held by the Missouri Historical Society and was likely published in Harper’s Monthly. After the war, Strother edited and illustrated the widely read series Personal Recollections of the War, by a Virginian (1866–1868).
Lincoln was known to have suffered from persistent dental problems, likely originating with a traumatic tooth extraction in 1841 that reportedly resulted in a fractured jaw. Thereafter, he avoided dental treatment whenever possible, though a letter of 1862 from Dr. G. S. Wolf documents the President undergoing another extraction that year. These two drawings by Strother may represent the only known likenesses of Lincoln drawn from life showing him fully smiling. The later caricature is particularly significant as the only known contemporary depiction to clearly show the President’s teeth, several of which appear to be missing.
PROVENANCE:
The field sketch: King Victor Hostick (1914–1993), prominent Lincoln collector and former president of the Illinois State Historical Society.
The caricature: James T. Mitchell (1834–1915), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania; sold at Davis & Harvey, Philadelphia, 17 May 1907, sale 944, lot 87.1.
This lot is located in Chicago.
