MARY TODD LINCOLN * Authentic DRESS RELIC * President Abraham Lincoln's Wife
Mary Todd Lincoln
First Lady, she was wife of the sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865). Born into a wealthy Southern family, she was accused by many Northerners of being a Confederate spy. After the death of her husband and three of her sons, she was confined to a mental institute.
Offered here is a small piece of fabric taken from a dress previously worn by Mary Todd Lincoln. We purchased this piece earlier this year from an auction lot of many large Mary Lincoln fabric swatches offered in the John Lattimer Collection of Lincolnia auction managed by Heritage Auction Galleries (HA.com - does not open in a new window). Also included in the Heritage lot was an old envelope from the Abraham Lincoln Association of Springfield, IL with the following written notation on the front: "Pieces of a dress worn by Mary Lincoln". The dimensions are approx. 2.00 x 2.00 inches.
Listed below are two pictures: (1) small piece of fabric offered in this auction, and (2) the lot of fabric swatches we purchased from Heritage Auctions. Please note that you are NOT bidding on the Lincoln swatch collection or Lincoln Association envelope. You ARE bidding on the snippets of fabric worn by Mary Todd Lincoln.
On a very interesting note, Mary Todd Lincoln wore a black dress with white stripes at Ford's Theatre when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. By coincidence, this dress was also black with white striping. After the assassination, Mary Lincoln gave the dress away to a friend and she would never see it again. Here is an excerpt taken from a Lincoln expertise web site that gives a description of the dress Mary wore on that fateful night: "On the evening of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife, Mary, were enjoying the comedy Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. Mary wore a black and white striped dress, with black lace veiling on her hair. As the play progressed, Mary sat very close to her husband, her hand in his. She whispered to him, "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?" The president replied, "She won't think anything about it." Very interesting excerpt. It is not part of the assassination dress, but it was worn by Mary Todd Lincoln and based on the design description in the above excerpt, it is very similar in type to the assassination dress.
This is a great item for those who admire Lincolns and/or American History. Don't go broke paying the thousands of dollars that historical auctioneers want for a Lincoln letter or presidential relic -- you can purchase an authentic relic of the Lincolns right here for just a fraction of the price. It would look awesome if framed and mounted with a picture of the Lincolns in your home or work office. The material is delicate, so we implore the winning bidder to handle with care. We are starting the bidding for this auction at a PENNY. We will let you Ebayers decide the value of this truly fantastic relic.
***Money Back Guarantee*** We know that you will love this product, but if for any reason you are unsatisfied, you may return the item in its original condition within 30 days and your money will be refunded (minus shipping costs). No risk to the buyer!
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