"The Conspirators", by General Lew Wallace

[STS Lincolnite]

Betty, I think your observations are very interesting and similar to mine. The first thing I thought of was them sitting around what looked to me like a broken column. Wallace was a Republican and a Freemason. I am certainly no expert, but from what I have read, the broken column is symbolism common in freemasonry and is often used on tomb monuments for those whose life was deemed to be cut short. Your thoughts on the cornerstone and the formation of a pyramid would fit into that same type of symbolism.

I am attaching some other photos. Two of sketches of the conspirators from the trial and another with who the conspirators seem to be in this painting. There are some similarities with the sketches.

Here is a different interpretation of the painting that is printed in the catalog at the Lew Wallace study (one of the staff members there was kind enough to send it along with a better quality photo than I was able to get myself):

"Unfinished painting in oil, on canvas, "The Conspirators", by General Lew Wallace. The scene is in the Capitol grounds in Washington, D. C., on the occasion of the second inauguration of President Lincoln. The Capitol was still incomplete, hence the large blocks of stone. Mrs. Suratt is not in the painting, but all the rest are, including John Suratt. They appear to be in the following order. Standing erect on top of the stone, in the center of the picture, is Lewis Payne. Seated on top of the stone, with legs extended, at left is George Atzerodt. Behind him to his right is David Herold. Seated below them is John Wilkes Booth, with Dr. Samuel Mudd to his left. The identity of the other four is somewhat uncertain, but may be Samuel Arnold, John Surratt, Michael O'Laughlin and Edward Spangler, in that order. In the background can be seen an iron fence. The testimony at the trial showed that they watched the proceedings in a group and actually endeavored to reach the president but could not pass his bodyguard."

Just for you Betty, I am going to contact the Wallace Study and see if there is a way we can get a print or poster for you!

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DanC,

It was neat to see this work in person. I was quite surprised to see it when I looked up. It is in fact, much larger than I would have expected. I would say over 5 feet X 5 feet (although I can't be sure since it was displayed about 10 feet off the ground and in a corner). I have e-mailed the study to see if I can get the actual dimensions and am waiting to hear back.

Per the other post I just sent, you can see there is some disagreement as to exactly which of the conspirators is which. Not hard to believe as, in my humble opinion, Wallace was a man of many talents but creating lifelike drawings was not one of them! I attached the Wallace sketches as a comparison - I put in who I thought each one was but that is certainly up for debate.