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  1865 ABRAHAM LINCOLN MOURNING BROADSIDE / HANDBILL DEPICTING A RED AND BLACK STRIPED FLAG WITH 34 STARS

Available: Sold
Frame Size (H x L): 9" x 11.5"
Flag Size (H x L): 4.25" x 7"
Description....:
Small paper broadside with an illustration of a 34 star, Civil War era flag, with text beneath that reads: “A Nation Mourns a Martyred Father.” Made to mourn Lincoln’s death, following his 1865 assassination, these handheld flyers were likely produced so that they may be purchased by individuals or handed out by merchants as the funeral train made its way back to Illinois. The route of the journey retraced the steps Lincoln had traveled to Washington as the president-elect, on his way to his first inauguration. Millions of onlookers lined up to pay their respects along the 1,654-mile procession.

This article is related to a group of rare paper mourning flags and fliers. The unusual star configuration in the canton of this flag bears distinct similarities to those on two of the other known varieties. The weight of the paper and printing are also alike. One of the group is stamped “Lybrand”. Though many hours of research have not yet turned up anything about the name, this was probably the printer.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this particular example is the presence of black stripes instead of white, in addition to the tassel, to indicate mourning.

It is of interest to note that another version of this broadside exists that bears the same flag image, but without the mourning text.

Further Information about Lincoln's Funeral Train:
Lincoln’s funeral train was dubbed “The Lincoln Special.” His portrait was fastened to the front of the engine above the cattle guard. Approximately 300 people accompanied Lincoln’s body on the 1,654-mile journey, including his eldest son Robert, who went as far as Baltimore. Also on the train was a coffin containing the body of Lincoln’s son Willie, who had died in 1862 at the age of 11 of typhoid fever during Lincoln’s second year in office and was being moved in order to be buried alongside his father at the family plot in Springfield.

In 1911, a prairie fire near Minneapolis, Minnesota, destroyed the train car that had so famously carried Lincoln’s body to its final resting place.

Mounting: The gilded American molding dates to the period between 1820 and 1850. This is a sandwich mount between 100% cotton and U.V. protective acrylic. The black fabric has been washed to reduce excess dye. An acid-free agent was added to the wash to further set the dye and the fabric was heat-treated for the same purpose.

Condition: I have previously owned copies of this broadside with varying amounts of white space around it. Probably printed alongside other paper ephemera, it is unclear how much of a border there was intended to be around an uncut image. These were generally trimmed by the seller or buyer to whatever size desired. The border here is small, but a wider border does nothing positive for the image—actually tending to be negative—and the condition is excellent.
Collector Level: Intermediate-Level Collectors and Special Gifts
Flag Type:
Star Count: 34
Earliest Date of Origin: 1861
Latest Date of Origin: 1863
State/Affiliation: Kansas
War Association: 1861-1865 Civil War
Price: SOLD
 

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