Grand Reception of the Notabilities of the Nation at the White House 1865 by Sarony, Major, & Knapp
date: label: Date made
content: 1865
name: label: depicted
content: Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson)
label: depicted
content: Lincoln, Abraham
label: depicted
content: Lincoln, Mary Todd
label: publisher
content: Leslie, Frank
label: depicted
content: Grant, Julia Dent
label: depicted
content: Sherman, William Tecumseh
label: depicted
content: Sumner, Charles
label: depicted
content: Meade, George Gordon
label: depicted
content: Hooker, Joseph
label: depicted
content: Johnson, Andrew
label: maker
content: Sarony, Major, & Knapp
notes: label: Description
content: Considered to be the last formal image of Lincoln from life, this lithograph depicts the President in an ornate White House ballroom. Here, on March 4, 1865 from 8 to 11 P.M., over 6,000 people celebrated the second inauguration of President Lincoln. Prominent guests greeted by Lincoln and the First Lady include Vice President Andrew Johnson, General and Mrs. Grant, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Gen. Joseph Hooker, Gen. George Gordon Meade, and Sen. Charles Sumner.
label: Description
content: This well-known image was issued as an incentive for subscribers of Frank Leslie’s Chimney Corner Family Newspaper, but could also be purchased separately for $3.00. Frank Leslie (1821-1880) was a British-born publisher and engraver, who produced several newspapers and journals in the mid-19th century. Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper was popular during the Civil War for its detailed battlefield illustrations. This print was copyrighted April 8, 1865, a week prior to Lincoln’s assassination, and was dedicated to the First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. As an added incentive, a key indicating the identity of 37 prominent guests was issued in Volume 4 of the paper, although the assassination occurred before that issue appeared. After Lincoln’s death, the great demand for Lincoln images led rival printers to pirate the scene, altering it slightly before publishing it as their own. Lithographer Anton Hohenstein and publisher John Smith titled their controversial copy, “Abraham Lincoln’s Last Reception.”
label: Description
content: This print was produced by Sarony, Major, & Knapp. Napoleon Sarony (1821–1896) was born in Quebec and trained under several lithography firms including Currier & Ives and H.R. Robinson. Sarony was also known for his successful experiments in early photography, developing his own cabinet-sized camera. In 1846, he partnered with another former apprentice of Nathaniel Currier, Henry B. Major, and the duo created lithography firm of Sarony & Major. Joseph F. Knapp joined the firm in 1857. Sarony, Major & Knapp earned a solid reputation for lithography and the company was especially known for its fine art chromolithography. Sarony departed the business in the mid-1860s to pursue photography fulltime and by the 1870s, the firm shifted it production from decorative prints to the more profitable field of advertising. It expanded to become the conglomerate known as the American Lithographic Company, which produced calendars, advertising cards, and posters. In 1930, it was bought out by Consolidated Graphics.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: New York, New York City
label: depicted
content: United States: District of Columbia, White House
topic: label: Subject
content: Communication, magazines
label: Subject
content: U.S. National Government, executive branch
label: Subject
content: Lighting
label: Subject
content: Furnishings
label: Subject
content: Uniforms, Military
label: Subject
content: Architecture, Historic Residences
label: referenced
content: Civil War
label: related event
content: Presidential Inauguration of 1865
setName: label: See more items in
content: Home and Community Life: Domestic Life
label: See more items in
content: NMAH Reception Suite
label: See more items in
content: Clothing & Accessories
label: See more items in
content: American Civil War Prints
label: See more items in
content: Art
label: See more items in
content: Peters Prints
label: See more items in
content: Domestic Furnishings
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Harry T. Peters "America on Stone" Lithography Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: DL.60.2587
label: catalog number
content: 60.2587
label: accession number
content: 228146
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Lithograph
label: Object Type
content: Lithograph
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: paper (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: ink (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: image: 14 7/8 in x 20 1/4 in; 37.7825 cm x 51.435 cm
label: Measurements
content: overall: 17 3/4 in x 22 in; 45.085 cm x 55.88 cm