[LINCOLN ASSASSINATION]. GARDNER, Alexander (1821-1882). Incidents of the War | Sic Semper Sicariis [caption title]. Washington, D. C.: Philp & Solomons, 1865.

Albumen photographs on printed mounts, entitled: "Arrival on Scaffold. No. 1." -- "Reading the Death Warrant. No. 2." -- "Adjusting the Ropes. No. 3." -- "(Thus be it ever with Assassins.) No. 4."

Suite of 4 albumen photographs, each approximately 6 7/8 x 8 7/8 in. (173 x 225 mm), on original printed mounts with Gardner's credit, titles, date, and copyright printed recto. (Pale dampstain on left mounts and portion of images, slight cockling to mounts, some marginal soiling, surface abrasion to first albumen photograph, small crease to fourth albumen photograph, small abrasions to mounts verso.) All mounted on stubs, bound in early 20th-century half green morocco, marbled boards (some overall wear).

RARE SERIES OF IMAGES OF THE EXECUTION OF THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION CONSPIRATORS

The series of images taken by Gardner and his assistant, Timothy O'Sullivan, in the yard of the Washington Penitentiary on the morning of 7 July 1865, is considered to be one of the first examples of photojournalism. Roughly 1,000 people attended the execution of the conspirators; most were soldiers, but many journalists and members of the public. The grim images show the accused: Mary Surratt (who kept a boardinghouse where the conspirators met), George Atzerodt (charged with the attempted assassination of Vice President Johnson), David Herold (who assisted Booth on his flight from Washington) and Lewis Payne (who attempted to assassinate Secretary of War Stanton). Though a Presidential pardon was expected for Surratt, one was never issued, and Surratt became the first woman ever hanged by the U. S. Government.

As Gardner's biographer Mark Katz writes, these scenes "remain the most vivid images from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It was the longest picture-story recording of an event to date, capturing a complex, significant series of events. Gardner and O'Sullivan's execution series was a 19th-century precursor of the kind of photo-journalism that subsequently became so important" (Witness to an Era, p.192).

Individual images from this sequence of The Incidents of War are scarce, and there is little informed consensus on the actual number of images comprising the complete series. Not present in this group is the rare image of the ropes hanging empty prior to the hanging, and what can be considered adjunct images (the photograph of the executioners and the photograph of the initial grave sites). Only 3 lots containing 4 or more images from the series can be traced at auction in the last 20 years: The Laico set (containing 5 images), sold Christie's East 12 May 1999; another set (containing 7 images) sold Christie's New York, 12 September 2000; and another set (containing 4 images) sold at Swann Galleries, 17 October 2013.

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Gretchen Hause

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Gretchen Hause joined the Books and Manuscripts Department at Hindman Auctions in 2017, after working for nearly 8 years as a specialist in the Books and Manuscripts Department at Christie’s in New York. During her tenure at Hindman, Gretchen has handled numerous books and maps for record prices, including the superb Mellon-Garden copy of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, sold in 2019 for the world auction record price of $564,500. She also secured and sold a rare copy of Palmatary’s 1857 pre-fire view of Chicago (the only copy in private hands) for nearly $200,000, and secured and auctioned a copy of Ratzer’s fine Plan of the City of New York for a world auction record $162,500.

In 2023, Gretchen secured the Fine Literature from the Collection of Richard C. McKenzie. The white-glove sale was 100% sold by lot, realizing nearly double the high estimate. In that same year, she served as head of sale for the Private Collection of Secretary Madeleine K. Albright, another white-glove sale which realized more than three times the low estimate. In 2019, Gretchen was responsible for the sale of the Library of a Midwestern Collector. The 86-lot sale achieved a record total for any sale for the department, setting the world auction record for Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, and bringing strong prices for several scientific works, works on computing, and other notable high spots. In 2018, she secured and handled the Fine Cartographic and Printed Americana Collection of Eric and Evelyn Newman, which was 97% sold by lot, achieving the highest sale total at the time for a single-session auction in department history, and bringing several record prices. She also organized the successful sale of The Adventure & Exploration Library of Steve Fossett. The two-session sale realized a department record sold total at the time, and achieved a 100% sell through rate.

Prior to joining Hindman Auctions, Gretchen spent nearly 8 years in the Books and Manuscripts department at Christie’s in New York. While at Christie’s, she contributed to the successful sales of several collections, including the Dorothy Shea collection of fore-edge paintings (96% sold by lot) and duplicates from the Warren H. Corning Library of the Holden Arboretum, which were 95% sold by lot in 2013 to benefit the acquisitions fund. She also helped catalogue the Cornelius J. Hauck Private Botanical Library (92% sold by lot in 2016), and the American Literature collection of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, which was 95% sold by lot. She had the opportunity to work on a number of landmark single-owner sales, including those of the collections of President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan and Huguette Clark, and the libraries of Kenneth Nebenzahl (exploration and maps), Arthur and Charlotte Vershbow (the art of book illustration), and Jean Perrette (travel and exploration), as well as the sale of the iconic Kelmscott printing press.

Gretchen has attended introductory and advanced bibliography and history of bookbinding courses at Rare Book School at the University of Virginia, and holds a B.A. and M.A. in English Literature. She studied primarily British literature, with emphases in medieval and modern literature. Gretchen is a member of the Grolier Club, the Caxton Club, the Washington Map Society, and the Chicago Map Society. She currently serves on the board as Treasurer for the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies. She is an auctioneer, and has nearly 15 years of experience working with rare books and manuscripts. In addition to her commitment to the bibliophilic community, Gretchen is committed to public service as well, and is currently serving a 6-year term as a publicly-elected Commissioner for the Berwyn Park District in her hometown.

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Fine Books and Manuscripts including Americana

[LINCOLN ASSASSINATION]. GARDNER, Alexander (1821-1882). Incidents of the War | Sic Semper Sicariis [caption title]. Washington, D. C.: Philp & Solomons, 1865.

Fine Books and Manuscripts including Americana

[LINCOLN ASSASSINATION]. GARDNER, Alexander (1821-1882). Incidents of the War | Sic Semper Sicariis [caption title]. Washington, D. C.: Philp & Solomons, 1865.

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