14 1/2 x 5 3/4 in. printed broadside.

THE ROLE THAT BROUGHT LINCOLN AND BOOTH TOGETHER TWO YEARS BEFORE LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION.

The Marble Heart was written by English playwright and actor Charles Selby, who adapted it from Théodore Barrière's 1854 play Les Filles de marbre. The role of Raphael became one of John Wilkes Booth's most acclaimed parts, with the actor's athleticism and fiery line readings garnering particular praise.

On 9 November 1863, six months before this performance, President Lincoln, accompanied by his wife Mary and numerous guests, attended a performance of The Marble Heart at Ford's Theatre, where Booth again played the role of the villainous Raphael. According to one of Lincoln's guests, Mary B. Clay, "Twice Booth, in uttering disagreeable threats in the play, came very near and put his finger close to Mr. Lincoln's face; when he came a third time, I was impressed by it, and said, 'Mr. Lincoln, he looks as if he meant that for you.' 'Well,' he said, 'he does look pretty sharp at me, doesn't he?'" (Helm, Mary, Wife of Lincoln, p.243). After the performance, Lincoln would request a meeting with Booth, a request that Booth is said to have angrily declined.