American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts

Provenance: Sidney D. King, West Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Lot accompanied by letter, dated February 16, 1902, by King in which he describes the building of a railroad car for the use of President Lincoln: "The car was built by the authorities of the U.S. Military R.R. a name which covered parts of the Manassas Gap, the Loudon and Hampshire and the Orange and Alexandria railroads which were confiscated by the government. The headquarters, roundhouse, carshops and machine shops were inside the stockade at Alexandria, VA and under the charge of Colonel D.C. MacCallum. I was assistant M.C.B. at that time, was in the shops constantly while the car was being built....It was really magnificent and every available convenience was used....When the car made its first real journey, that from Washington to Springfield bearing the dead body of the President to its final resting place, it was elaborately draped in black cloth with silver bullion fringe, silver spangled stars and large silver tassels about nine inches long and three in diameter. There were also many black tassels used about the biers on which rested the two coffins (the president's and that of his son Tad). These funeral trappings were removed on the return of the car to Alexandria and divided up as relics. I got one of the large silver tassels and some of each of the other decorations and put them in a case made of the same materials as the car...It is to be hoped the plan for preserving the car may be carried out for it is a genuine relic of war time even if it did not go to the front and it seems to me the resolute self-denial of the President in not using it during his lifetime, and his one journey in it, when his wearied body was past the need for earthly luxury are stiking incidents in even such a notable career as that of Lincoln."