Skip to main content

Assassination of President Lincoln

Assassination of President Lincoln
Artist
Currier & Ives Lithography Company, active 1857 - 1907
Sitter
Major Henry Riggs Rathbone, 1837 - 1911
Clara Harris Rathbone, c. 1830 - 1894
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln, 13 Dec 1818 - 16 Jul 1882
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865
John Wilkes Booth, 26 Aug 1838 - 26 Apr 1865
Date
1865
Type
Print
Medium
Hand-colored lithograph on paper
Dimensions
Image: 20.1 x 30.9cm (7 15/16 x 12 3/16")
Sheet: 27.7 x 35.5cm (10 7/8 x 14")
Mat (horizontal): 40.6 x 55.9cm (16 x 22")
Topic
Interior
Architecture\Balustrade
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Chair\Armchair
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Bonnet
Weapon\Gun\Pistol
Weapon\Knife\Dagger
Symbols & Motifs\Flag\National\United States
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln: Female
Mary Ann Todd Lincoln: Politics and Government\First Lady\First Lady of US
John Wilkes Booth: Male
John Wilkes Booth: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor
John Wilkes Booth: Law and Crime\Criminal\Assassin
Major Henry Riggs Rathbone: Male
Major Henry Riggs Rathbone: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Civil War
Major Henry Riggs Rathbone: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Major
Clara Harris Rathbone: Female
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
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.82.50
Exhibition Label
On the night of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre, accompanied by his wife and their guests, Major Henry R. Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris. That evening, the guard assigned to the president had thought it safe to abandon his post. As a result, John Wilkes Booth found it relatively easy to enter Lincoln’s box and shoot him. As Booth leapt out of the box to the stage about twelve feet below, he caught the spur of his boot on a flag and broke his leg when he landed. Nevertheless, he escaped. It was not until twelve days later that Union soldiers cornered Booth in a barn in Caroline County, Virginia, where he died of a bullet wound.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Location
Currently not on view