NATIONAL INAUGURATION BALL. MARCH 4TH 1865.
[Washington]: Designed & Drawn by Bruff. Engraved by Dempsey & O'Toole, 1865. Engraved broadside invitation, 10-1/2" x 7-1/2," printed on heavy card stock, engraved by Dempsey & O'Toole, Designed & Drawn by Bruff, to the Ball celebrating the second inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln and the inauguration of Vice President Andrew Johnson. The name of the invitee is not filled in. Fine.
The attractively engraved invitation has detailed engraved portraits of Lincoln and Johnson, flanked by two iconic American Eagles perched atop Corinthian columns. The Eagle on the left holds a rattlesnake in its beak, reminiscent of the "Dont Tread on Me" flag. The pillars rest on three steps, labeled "1777-83", "1812-15", and "1860-65." Beneath the portraits a three-column list of Managers is printed, including prominent political and military figures of the time such as outgoing Vice President Hamlin, Generals Grant, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan, Doubleday, Winfield Scott Hancock, and Admirals Farragut and Porter. "E Pluribus Unum" and "We Are One and Indissoluble" are inscribed on banners wrapped around the columns
The 1865 Inaugural Ball was held on March 6, 1865 [not March 4], at the Patent Office in Washington, D.C., now home to the Smithsonian American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery.
OCLC records about ten locations under several accession numbers as of May 2025. Item #40934
Price: $3,500.00