Campaign Parade Torch, 1884
notes: label: Description
content: The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation.
label: Description
content: This distinctive helmet-shaped torch was carried in 1884.
topic: label: used
content: Political Campaigns
setName: label: See more items in
content: Political History: Political History, Campaign Collection
label: See more items in
content: Government, Politics, and Reform
label: See more items in
content: American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
label: Exhibition
content: American Democracy
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: The Ralph E Becker Collection of Political Americana
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: PL.227739.1884.H02
label: catalog number
content: 227739.1884.H02
label: accession number
content: 227739
objectType: label: Object Name
content: Torch Helmet
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: silver (overall color)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 13 in x 8 in x 10 1/2 in; 33.02 cm x 20.32 cm x 26.67 cm