1864 engraving of President Lincoln

The engraving was an obvious mess. It had dark water stains in the upper left corner and at the bottom. The sides were nicked and a dark line cut right through the center. The paper was so brittle that it had to be ever-so-delicately handled.

It was in an old gold-leaf frame propped against a column at a new auction house I’d been checking out lately. In the center was a head-and-shoulders picture of a serious-looking Abraham Lincoln with illustrated vignettes around the sides. This being the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I was on the lookout for historical items relating to that period in the country’s history, especially as it related to slavery.

I wasn’t exactly looking for a print of Lincoln. But once I saw the image in one of the vignettes, it had even more historical valuable to me. There in the top right corner was a family of slaves walking along a road.

They didn’t seem to be hurrying as if they were escaping, so I wondered if perhaps the scene was referencing the Emancipation Proclamation and blacks leaving the plantations. It was labeled, though, “Fugitives.” The engraving had been done in 1864, a year after Lincoln signed the proclamation and a year before the war ended.

The other three vignettes were harder to decipher, and some parts of them were difficult to see with the naked eye. (Once I got home, I used a magnifying glass.)

One showed an Eagle with an “E Pluribus Unum” banner along with a woman and in the background, the sun rising over a church and factory. That scene was labeled “Peace.” In another, a sword-carrying warrior fought a five-headed dragon with “Rebellion” written on its belly. The other:  A couple seemed to be beseeching a man standing under a tree shielding his eyes. In the background was a covered wagon, and the scene was labeled “Patriots.”

At the top center were books, an inkwell and pen, a document labeled “Proclamation of Freedom (the Emancipation Proclamation?),” shackles and a broken whip. At the bottom was a handshake above the words “The Union Forever.”

Several sites repeated that these illustrations represented Lincoln’s beliefs and policies. That could be true, because they did seem to be related to issues surrounding the Civil War: the union, slavery, the rebellious southern states. Each told a story that may have made sense back in 1864, but they were not so transparent today.

The engraving also contained information that made it official:

“Entered according to act of Congress AD 1864 by J.C. Buttre in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. Engraved and Published by J.C. Buttre. 48 Franklin St. New York. Border Designed by W. Momberger. Photograph by M.B. Brady.”

Beneath it was a facsimile signature of Lincoln along with the “Abraham Lincoln. President of the United States.” Other words on the extreme bottom had some letters missing (“E.B Trea…”).

I wanted to know more about the engraving and the images, so I Googled. I found that the portrait of Lincoln was based on a photo taken in the studio of noted Civil War photographer Mathew W. Brady in Washington on Feb. 9, 1864 by photographer Anthony Berger. Brady himself would develop the concept, arrange the sitter and oversee the process, according to the book “Photography: A Cultural History” by Mary Warner Marien.

At least seven photos were taken of the president that day, and they were to be used in a painting showing Lincoln and his cabinet during the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. This one was also used on the $5 bill.

The first batch of these engravings was apparently issued in 1864. A second version was issued in 1865 after Lincoln was assassinated, and the date of his death is noted on the engraving. It apparently was among a number of products made quickly for sale to seemingly capitalize on his death. Most of the engravings I came across on the web were from 1865 and were described as the Lincoln memorial engraving. The one at auction did not have this inscription.

I could find little more about the purpose of the engraving and what had precipitated it.

As for the artists, Buttre seemed to have been one of the main engravers of his time. I came across several other prints by him, including Millard Fillmore, Ulysses S. Grant and Jefferson Davis among a group of Confederate chieftains. A German-American immigrant, William Momberger was a landscape painter and lithographer who illustrated books, newspapers and bank notes. Here’s another of his borders.

Once the engraving came up for bids, I found out that even in its condition, at least one other bidder also wanted it. But he didn’t want it as much as me: I got the print for less than $100. (Click on photo below to see a larger version.)