Skip to main content

The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before the Cabinet

The First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation before the Cabinet
Artist
Alexander Hay Ritchie, 1822 - 1895
Copy after
Francis Bicknell Carpenter, 1830 - 1900
Sitter
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865
Edwin McMasters Stanton, 19 Dec 1814 - 24 Dec 1869
Salmon Portland Chase, 13 Jan 1808 - 7 May 1873
Gideon Welles, 1 Jul 1802 - 11 Feb 1878
Caleb Blood Smith, 16 Apr 1808 - 7 Jan 1864
Montgomery Blair, 10 May 1813 - 27 Jul 1883
Edward Bates, 4 Sep 1793 - 25 Mar 1869
William Henry Seward, 16 May 1801 - 15 Oct 1872
Date
1866
Type
Print
Medium
Stipple engraving on paper
Dimensions
Image: 53 × 82.2cm (20 7/8 × 32 3/8")
Sheet: 69.5 × 96.5cm (27 3/8 × 38")
Mat: 76.8 x 101.6cm (30 1/4 x 40")
Topic
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair
Printed Material\Book
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Artwork\Portrait
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
William Henry Seward: Male
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\US Senator\New York
William Henry Seward: Law and Crime\Lawyer
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Statesman
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
William Henry Seward: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York
Caleb Blood Smith: Male
Caleb Blood Smith: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Caleb Blood Smith: Law and Crime\Judge
Caleb Blood Smith: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of Interior
Caleb Blood Smith: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Indiana
Caleb Blood Smith: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Indiana
Montgomery Blair: Male
Montgomery Blair: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Montgomery Blair: Law and Crime\Judge
Montgomery Blair: Politics and Government\US Attorney
Montgomery Blair: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster\Postmaster General\US Postmaster General
Montgomery Blair: Politics and Government\Public official\Mayor\St. Louis, MO
Edward Bates: Male
Edward Bates: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Edward Bates: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\US Attorney General
Edward Bates: Politics and Government\Statesman
Salmon Portland Chase: Male
Salmon Portland Chase: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Salmon Portland Chase: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate
Salmon Portland Chase: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of Treasury
Salmon Portland Chase: Politics and Government\Governor\Ohio
Salmon Portland Chase: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
Salmon Portland Chase: Politics and Government\US Senator\Ohio
Salmon Portland Chase: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Abolitionist
Salmon Portland Chase: Law and Crime\Judge\Justice\US Supreme Court Justice\Chief Justice of US
Gideon Welles: Male
Gideon Welles: Military and Intelligence\Navy\Secretary of the Navy
Gideon Welles: Journalism and Media\Journalist
Gideon Welles: Journalism and Media\Editor
Gideon Welles: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Connecticut
Gideon Welles: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster
Abraham Lincoln: Male
Abraham Lincoln: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\Soldier
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\President of US
Abraham Lincoln: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist
Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Surveyor
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\State Senator\Illinois
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster
Abraham Lincoln: Crafts and Trades\Boat builder
Edwin McMasters Stanton: Male
Edwin McMasters Stanton: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Edwin McMasters Stanton: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\US Attorney General
Edwin McMasters Stanton: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of War
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Mrs. Chester E. King
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.78.109
Exhibition Label
Despite his abolitionist leanings, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) entered the presidency pledging not to interfere with slavery in those states where it existed. To avoid alienating slaveholding border states that remained loyal to the Union, he steadfastly resisted vocal prodding from abolitionists who urged him to make the dismantling of slavery a goal of the Civil War. But by the summer of 1862, Lincoln recognized the emancipation of those enslaved within Confederate-held territory as both a military and a moral necessity.
In September 1862, Lincoln announced that the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all enslaved persons free in regions of the South still in rebellion, would take effect on January 1, 1863. Printmakers capitalized on the positive public response to Lincoln’s order by issuing scores of commemorative prints. This lithograph, based on a painting in the U.S. Capitol, recreates the cabinet meeting at which Lincoln read the first draft of his proclamation.
A pesar de su tendencia abolicionista, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) llegó a la presidencia prometiendo no interferir con la esclavitud en los estados donde existía. Para evitar enemistarse con los estados esclavistas que seguían leales a la Unión, se resistió al reclamo abolicionista de que incluyera el fin de la esclavitud en las metas de la Guerra Civil. No obstante, en el verano de 1862 reconoció que la emancipación de los esclavizados en territorios confederados era una necesidad militar y moral.
En septiembre de 1862, Lincoln anunció que la Proclamación de Emancipación, que declaraba libres a todas las personas esclavizadas en regiones sureñas todavía en rebelión, entraría en efecto el 1 de enero de 1863. Los litógrafos aprovecharon la positiva reacción pública para producir incontables estampas conmemorativas. Esta litografía, basada en una pintura ubicada en el Capitolio, recrea la reunión del gabinete en la que Lincoln leyó el primer borrador de su proclama.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view