Pictorial representations Lincoln’s deathbed

[loetar44]

I know that most of the pictorial representations (paintings, prints, sketches, photomontages) of Lincoln’s death are not accurate. Officials gathered around the bedside. In all some 55 individuals visited the dying president – but not all on the same time, as most artists suggest in their images. I like the word “rubber room” , meaning the phenomenon that the modest chamber in Petersen’s House grew larger and larger to an unrealistically expanded and overcrowded death chamber. The room could not have accommodate more than 6 or 7 persons at once, but the John H. Littlefield engraving (1866) depict a lot more. My question.... there are two versions of the Littlefield engraving, one with 24 persons and one with 25 persons. Does anybody know why? I have found a key to 24 persons, but who is 25 (see red arrow)? Who can help?

   

   

BTW: I understand what the artist was intending to do: record as much as any witnesses who had spent even a few minutes in the room. And this is not the largest of Lincoln’s deathbed scenes, that was Alonzo Chappel’s painting depicting 47 persons.

[RJNorton]

Kees, I do not know about the two versions, but I will guess the "red arrow" person might be Gov. Richard J. Oglesby of Illinois. Maybe some younger eyes can tell for sure. Oglesby is in the Chappel painting, and it looks like it might be him to me. There is a key to the Littlefield engraving here, but it's hard for me to read all the names even when enlarged. For now I'll go with Oglesby as a guess.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Isn't that the one Betty posted here?
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...s#pid25648
Then you are right, Roger!

---

(08-28-2014 03:52 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  My question.... there are two versions of the Littlefield engraving, one with 24 persons and one with 25 persons. Does anybody know why?

Kees, despite that on Roger's link is written:
"After Lincoln's death, Littlefield invented this tableau of twenty-five people ranged around the death-bed", I think he in any case didn't want to leave out someone who in fact was there. My humble guess is he created his first version, then learned of Oglesby's presence (and according to Reck's "His last 24 Hours", Oglesby was definitively present), and subsequently added him. Would that make sense/be possible?

[L Verge]

Just a note about the term "Rubber Room:" So far as I know, it was first coined about 15 years ago by a history student in one of Dr. Terry Alford's classes as the title for her paper on who was present during the death scene. For the life of me, I cannot remember the young lady's name. However, it was later picked up by Harold Holzer and Frank Williams, and they were kind enough to give her credit for its "creation."

[RJNorton]

Eva, thank you so much for posting that link! I was getting severe eyestrain from trying to figure out if it said "Oglesby" here. Even when I enlarged it I could not read it.

For anyone unfamiliar with Alonzo Chappel's painting that Kees mentioned here it is:

[loetar44]

Roger wrote: "There is a key to the Littlefield engraving here, but it's hard for me to read all the names even when enlarged. For now I'll go with Oglesby as a guess."

Roger, yes indeed, even enlarged it's hardly to read. Here is the key for the other 24

   

(1) Andrew Johnson; (2) Gideon Welles; (3) Leonard J. Farwell ; (4) Hugh McCulloch; (5) ???; (6) John Franklin Farnsworth; (7) William Tod Otto; (8) Schuyler Colfax; (9 ) William Dennison; (10) Dr. Charles A. Leale; (11) John Hay; (12) Robert Todd Lincoln ; (13) Charles S. Taft; (14) Charles Sumner ; (15) James Speed; (16) Charles H. Crane; (17) John P. Usher ; (18) Henry W. Halleck; (19) Christopher C. Augur; (20) Montgomery C. Meigs; (21) Edwin M. Stanton; (22) Phineas D. Gurley; (23) Joseph K. Barnes; (24) Mary Todd Lincoln; (25) Robert K. Stone

---

(08-29-2014 03:56 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  For anyone unfamiliar with Alonzo Chappel's painting that Kees mentioned here it is:

I will post a key for the Chappel painting later today.

---

(08-28-2014 08:03 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Just a note about the term "Rubber Room:" So far as I know, it was first coined about 15 years ago by a history student in one of Dr. Terry Alford's classes as the title for her paper on who was present during the death scene. For the life of me, I cannot remember the young lady's name. However, it was later picked up by Harold Holzer and Frank Williams, and they were kind enough to give her credit for its "creation."

In Harold Holzer and Frank J. Williams' article "Lincoln's Rubber Room" (published in American History, August 1998, page 40) they say (p. 42): "Most printers proved unaware of or unwilling to accept the modest size of the death chamber itself, giving rise in popular art to what assassination expert Lesley A. Leonard has aptly called the "rubber room" phenomenon.

[loetar44]

(08-28-2014 05:24 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Isn't that the one Betty posted here?
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...s#pid25648
Then you are right, Roger!

---

(08-28-2014 03:52 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  My question.... there are two versions of the Littlefield engraving, one with 24 persons and one with 25 persons. Does anybody know why?

Kees, despite that on Roger's link is written:
"After Lincoln's death, Littlefield invented this tableau of twenty-five people ranged around the death-bed", I think he in any case didn't want to leave out someone who in fact was there. My humble guess is he created his first version, then learned of Oglesby's presence (and according to Reck's "His last 24 Hours", Oglesby was definitively present), and subsequently added him. Would that make sense/be possible?

Eva, I I think you are right. It reminds me to the first (of three) versions of the Currier&Ives lithograph. The first version included 12 eyewitnesses, among them Gen. Henry W. Halleck (standing far left with handkerchief in hand), but Andrew Johnson was not there. Even Tad was present (crying on his mother’s lap) even though he was never present in the death chamber.

   

The second version had Andrew Johnson in stead of Gen. Halleck (who was left out).

   

In the third version Johnson was given a place next to Lincoln’s bedside and Mary and Tad were relegated to the open doorway.

   

[loetar44]

Roger, I added (B&W) a small part at the right – with two more persons – to stretch the “Rubber Room” a bit more; this part belongs to the original, but was not on your image. To accommodate the following 47 persons into it, the room has unrecognizable dimensions:

   

(1) Mary Todd Lincoln; (2) Andrew Johnson; (3) Maj. Henry R. Rathbone; (4) Arnold, P.M.; (5) Postmaster General William Dennison; (6) Sec’y Gideon Welles; (7) Attorney General James Speed; (8) Dr. Hall; (9) Dr. C.H. Liebermann; (10) Sec’y John P. Usher; (11) Sec’y Hugh McCulloch (12) Gov. Richard Oglesby; (13) Speaker Schuyler Colfax; (14) Dr. Robert K. Stone; (15) Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes; (16) Mrs. Elizabeth Dixon; (17) Dr. George B. Todd; (18) Assistent Surgeon Charles A. Leale; (19) Assistent Surgeon Charles S. Taft; (20) Judge William Tod Otto; (21) Brig. Gen. John Franklin Farnsworth; (22) Senator Charles Sumner; (23) Surgeon Charles H. Crane; (24) Gen. John Blair Smith Todd; (25) Robert Todd Lincoln; (26) Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley; (27) Assistent Sec’y Maunsell B. Field; (28) Adj. Gen. Isham N. Haynie; (29) Maj. Benjamin Brown French; (30) Gen. Christopher C. Augur; (31) Col. Thomas McCurdy Vincent; (32) Gen. Henry W. Halleck; (33) Sec’y Edwin M. Stanton; (34) Col. George V. Rutherford; (35) Assistant Sec’y Thomas T. Eckert; (36) Col. Louise H. Pelouse; (37) Maj. John Hay; (38) Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs; (39) Maj. Rockwell; (40) Ex-Gov. Leonard J. Farwell; (41) Judge Carter; (42) Rollins, M.C.; (43) Gen. Gilman Marston (44) Mary Kinney; (45) Constance Kinney; (46) Clara Harris. Abraham Lincoln is the 47th person in this painting.

---

In the Chappel painting you can clearly see a print that hung over the bed where Lincoln died. Many printmakers included this print in their depictions of the deathbed scene. And yes, this engraving was actually in the room. I suspect it was an engraving after the painting “The Village Blacksmith”, from John Frederick Herring Sr. (12 September 1795 – 23 September 1865) a British artist. Does anyone know something about the other prints that hung over the bed?

   

[loetar44]

And here is the key to another famous depicting of Lincoln's Death Chamber, the Ritchie engraving (1868), IMO, one of the handsomest of all Lincoln deathbed prints. "Only" 26 witnesses...

   

(1) Sec’y Gideon Welles; (2) Maj. John Hay; (3) Sec’y Edwin M. Stanton; (4) Rev. Dr. Phineas D. Gurley; (5) Brig. Gen. John Franklin Farnsworth; (6) Gov. Richard Oglesby; (7) Gen. John Blair Smith Todd; (8) Rufus Andrews; (9) ) Judge William Tod Otto; (10) Postmaster General William Dennison; (11) Judge David Kellogg Cartter; (12) Gen. Henry W. Halleck; (13) Robert Todd Lincoln; (14) Assistent Surgeon Charles A. Leale; (15) Senator Charles Sumner; (16) Surgeon Charles H. Crane; (17) Ex-Gov. Leonard J. Farwell; (18) Sec’y John P. Usher; (19) Gen. Christopher C. Augur; (20) Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs; (21) Assistent Sec’y Maunsell B. Field; (22) Speaker Schuyler Colfax; (23) Attorney General James Speed; (24) ) Dr. Robert K. Stone; (25) Sec’y Hugh McCulloch; (26) Surgeon General Joseph K. Barnes.

[RJNorton]

There are some accounts/paintings, etc. that include ex-Wisconsin Governor Leonard J. Farwell in the deathbed scene. I wonder about this. Farwell is the man who ran from Ford's and alerted Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood House that Lincoln had been shot. Later Farwell escorted Johnson to the Petersen House, but according to Charles Sumner, Johnson only stayed two minutes and departed. I would assume Farwell left with Johnson as he was concerned with Johnson's safety. I wonder if he is included in the deathbed scenes because, like Johnson, he was there earlier. In his book, Reck includes Farwell in his list of "other individuals who have been listed at the deathbed in articles, books, or pictures."

[LincolnToddFan]

I am always fascinated by the fact that all the representations show the dying president fully dressed in his nightshirt, even though he was of course nude under the sheets.

I guess showing even Lincoln's bare arms would have violated the strict Victorian standards of the day.

[L Verge]

(08-29-2014 04:04 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  Roger wrote: "There is a key to the Littlefield engraving here, but it's hard for me to read all the names even when enlarged. For now I'll go with Oglesby as a guess."

Roger, yes indeed, even enlarged it's hardly to read. Here is the key for the other 24



(1) Andrew Johnson; (2) Gideon Welles; (3) Leonard J. Farwell ; (4) Hugh McCulloch; (5) ???; (6) John Franklin Farnsworth; (7) William Tod Otto; (8) Schuyler Colfax; (9 ) William Dennison; (10) Dr. Charles A. Leale; (11) John Hay; (12) Robert Todd Lincoln ; (13) Charles S. Taft; (14) Charles Sumner ; (15) James Speed; (16) Charles H. Crane; (17) John P. Usher ; (18) Henry W. Halleck; (19) Christopher C. Augur; (20) Montgomery C. Meigs; (21) Edwin M. Stanton; (22) Phineas D. Gurley; (23) Joseph K. Barnes; (24) Mary Todd Lincoln; (25) Robert K. Stone

---

(08-29-2014 03:56 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  For anyone unfamiliar with Alonzo Chappel's painting that Kees mentioned here it is:

I will post a key for the Chappel painting later today.

---

(08-28-2014 08:03 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Just a note about the term "Rubber Room:" So far as I know, it was first coined about 15 years ago by a history student in one of Dr. Terry Alford's classes as the title for her paper on who was present during the death scene. For the life of me, I cannot remember the young lady's name. However, it was later picked up by Harold Holzer and Frank Williams, and they were kind enough to give her credit for its "creation."

In Harold Holzer and Frank J. Williams' article "Lincoln's Rubber Room" (published in American History, August 1998, page 40) they say (p. 42): "Most printers proved unaware of or unwilling to accept the modest size of the death chamber itself, giving rise in popular art to what assassination expert Lesley A. Leonard has aptly called the "rubber room" phenomenon.

I don't remember that name, and the young student would not be classified as an "expert" at that point. Perhaps I am wrong, and the student picked up the name from whoever Lesley A. Leonard is/was.

[Eva Elisabeth]

I wonder who of these persons A. L. would (not) have liked to be in that room. And I wonder if he would have liked Mary to be there instead.

[Hess1865]

(08-29-2014 06:21 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  I wonder who of these persons A. L. would (not) have liked to be in that room. And I wonder if he would have liked Mary to be there instead.

I'll start this off with these 3:

Andrew Johnson
Schuyler Colfax
Charles Sumner

[LincolnToddFan]

Good question guys!

He was very fond of Schuyler Colfax, who revered Lincoln in return. He also liked Sumner even though their friendship was being tested by their differing opinions on Reconstruction. Sumner was primarily Mary's friend.

So i'll vote Andrew Johnson off the island...he and AL had only met once in the six weeks since Inauguration day when AJ made a spectacle of himself. And he didn't stay long at the Petersen House that night anyway because he knew Mary could not stand him.