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Lot 83
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Lincoln Conspirators' Coffins Photo, Frederick Meserve Collected & Inscribed
Lincoln Conspirators' Coffins Photo, Frederick Meserve Collected & Inscribed
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Description:

Lincoln Conspirators' Coffins Photo, Frederick Meserve Collected & Inscribed

A photograph showing coffins stacked in front of open graves in the courtyard of Washington's Old Arsenal Penitentiary on July 7, 1865, prepared to receive the four executed Lincoln conspirators. Printed ca. 1910, from the personal collection of world-renowned Lincoln collector Frederick H. Meserve (1865-1962). The photo is housed in construction paper wrappers and inscribed in Meserve's hand as: "The Graves of three / of the Conspirators." The sepia-colored photograph is hand-stamped "Collection / Of / Americana / Frederick H. Meserve / 265 Edgecombe Avenue / New York City" verso. Expected wear including isolated gentle wrinkles, else near fine and quite crisp. The actual size of the photo is 7" x 5." The slotted inner wrapper, and the annotated double-hole punched outer wrappers, show expected wear including slightly blunted corners. Its wrappers measure approximately 9.125" x 13."

The photograph of "The Graves of three / of the Conspirators" was originally taken by Alexander Gardner (1821-1882), who was hired by the federal government to document the imprisonment and execution of the alleged conspirators. We do not know whether Meserve printed these photographs from original negatives, however, the level of sharpness evidenced here may indicate that that is the case.

Eight individuals were arrested and eventually tried for their roles in the coordinated plan to simultaneously assassinate Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, William H. Seward, and Ulysses S. Grant on April 14, 1865. A 9-person Military Tribunal was commissioned by President Andrew Johnson to fully investigate the conspiracy. The Lincoln conspiracy trial took place over a seven-week-long period, from May 9 through June 28, 1865. Verdicts and sentencing were announced on June 30th, and on July 5th, President Andrew Johnson authorized the execution of four of the eight defendants, Mary Surratt, David Herold, George Atzerodt, and Lewis Powell (sometimes called Lewis Payne).

The Lincoln conspirators were hanged on July 7, 1865 on a scaffold erected in the southern courtyard of Washington's Old Arsenal Penitentiary, today Fort Lesley McNair. After the execution, the bodies remained suspended for about 30 minutes. Dr. George Loring Porter (1838-1919), the Surgeon-in-Charge who conducted the postmortem examinations, recalled that the bodies were then "placed in the pine boxes by a squad of soldiers and lowered in the graves prepared for them…"

Although only three coffins and three graves are distinctly visible in this photograph, there was also a fourth coffin and grave located outside its frame. All four executed Lincoln conspirators were buried in shallow graves steps away from the gallows near the prison wall. This process was overseen by the executioner, Captain Christian Rath (1831-1920), who arranged the bodies in the coffins. Acting Assistant Adjutant R. A. Watts placed a glass vial containing the handwritten name of each conspirator in their respective coffin in case the bodies were moved. The Lincoln conspirators remained buried in the courtyard from July 7, 1865 until October 1, 1867, when their remains were relocated to a penitentiary warehouse. The bodies were not released to the conspirators' families until 1869. Today, all four are believed to be buried in Washington, D.C. cemeteries, either in private plots, mass graves, or public vaults, though Lewis Powell's skull is reported to be in Florida, buried with his mother.

Frederick H. Meserve was a preeminent collector of Lincoln and Civil War-era photography, ephemera, maps, and books. He began collecting Lincolniana in 1897, with the intention of illustrating his father's Civil War diary. In the early 1900s, Meserve acquired 10,000 original Brady negatives including seven Lincoln portraits. Meserve continued collecting Lincoln likenesses, as well as photos of Lincoln's contemporaries, over the next sixty years. He eventually amassed a collection of 200,000 pieces including some previously "lost" or unknown images of Lincoln. Meserve's collection was so esteemed for its completeness that he essentially became the custodian of "Lincoln's image." Meserve was approached by medal and currency engravers, as well as by the sculptors of Lincoln's Memorial Monument, for direct access to his presidential photographs. In 2015, the Meserve-Kunhardt Collection was acquired by the Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (New Haven, Connecticut.)

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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