Condition Report
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Auction Specialist
Lot 266
Sale 6417 - Fine Printed Books & Manuscripts, Including Americana
Sep 10, 2025
10:00AM ET
Live / Philadelphia
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Estimate
$1,500 -
2,500
Price Realized
$1,536
Sold prices are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium
Lot Description
[Presidential] [Lincoln, Abraham] National Inauguration Ball Invitation, March 4, 1865
(Washington, D.C.): Engraved by Dempsey & O'Toole, after a design by Joseph Goldsborough Bruff, 1865. Engraved invitation with jugate portraits of Lincoln and Andrew Johnson at top. Slight bumping to top right and lower left corners. 10 7/16 x 7 1/2 in. (265 x 190 mm).
A fine original engraved invitation for President Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural ball. Although dated March 4, 1865, due to inclement weather the ball was rescheduled to March 6. Taking place during the final stages of the Civil War, the ball was a revelatory event attended by over 4,000 guests, and was held in the Patent Office Building (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum), the first inaugural ball to take place in a government building.
