Lincoln's embalmment

[Steve]

From a Dodge Chemical Co. publication entitled “New Light on the Embalming of President Lincoln” by Seabury Quinn (1910 ?): “In collaboration with Frank T. Sands, "undertaker", the Messrs. M. E. & J. W. Harvey, (also undertakers"), were busy designing and making a coffin while Harry P. Cattell was engaged in his professional work”

Cattell was Lincoln’s actual embalmer. The embalment took place at / after noon April 15, 1865 immediately after the cranial autopsy. Now I wonder, when was Lincoln’s coffin ready? I suspect that there was some time needed to make the coffin and it make sense to me that the coffin was not earlier ready than April 16 or April 17. In the evening of April 17 Lincon’s coffin was placed in the East Room.

Does someone know when the coffin was ready? And where was the body of Lincoln between embalment and coffin? I suspect in the Prince of Wales Room ?

Hello,
Do you have a copy of this Dodge publication still? I am an embalmer myself and my main area of interest in Lincoln revolves around his death and care of the body thereafter. I actually called the Dodge company seeking info on the publication you mention and they don’t have anything to offer although they were very helpful.
SockdologizingMantrap

Hi, I found a copy of the Quinn article online here:

https://archive.org/details/assassxxxxxx...c/page/n13

It's actually from 1943, not c.1910.

Since you're interested in Lincoln's death and body's care, I should point out that the link above with the Quinn story is part of the larger Lincoln Financial Foundation's embalming articles file digitized on the Internet Archive. The Quinn article is only 2 pages, but if you scroll forwards and backwards there may also be other articles of similar vein that may interest you.