Valentine from Tad to his Mother

[Anita]

Given that today is Valentine's Day, I was reminded of the Valentine's Day card Tad sent to his mother in 1867. Go here to see the Valentine and other interesting objects. http://railsplitter.com/?page_id=4401

The recently concluded “Lincoln & His Times” auction co-sponsored by Dallas-based Heritage Auctions and “The Rail Splitter” just concluded. It was a resounding success with sales approaching $2.5M. There were some major surprises, shocking even, but, as with any auction and sale of this size, some things did disappoint and failed to match previous records. At 866 lots, it may qualify as the largest sale of Lincolniana ever mounted. It closely followed the format and “sorting” of past Railsplitter auctions. We have selected just a handful of representative items. A tintype of Tad Lincoln, taken in Chicago in 1867, was lotted with a valentine card sent to his mother by Tad, along with Mrs. Lincoln’s transmittal envelope. It was part of an archive of items retained by Mrs. Fowler, a Chicago neighbor and friend of the former First Lady, whose son Henry as a playmate of Tad’s. These documents and personal mementoes dated from 1867-1871. This group made $7,500.

[RJNorton]

Thank you for sharing this with the forum, Anita! I believe that photo of Tad is new to me; as of right now, I do not recall ever seeing it previously.

[LincolnMan]

I never saw that picture of Tad either.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Very interesting find, Anita - thanks for sharing! I've never seen either!
Here I found an even more explicit following description plus these photos that shows the written parts:
       
https://historical.ha.com/itm/photograph...63-43048.s
"Tad Lincoln: Tintype Portrait and Valentine. An interesting group that provides insight into the close relationship between Mary Todd Lincoln and her youngest son. The first item is a tinted tintype (1.5" x 1.75") mounted within an embossed paper CDV mount. A label of the photographer, J. M. Ingraham of Chicago, secures it within the mount. The verso is inscribed, in ink and pencil, "'Tad' (Thos.) Lincoln 14 years old in 1870". In fact, we believe the portrait was taken in 1867 when Tad was 14 years old. Great condition. Original family portraits of the Lincoln children are excessively rare and usually one-of-a-kind. The second item is a small envelope with embossed initials of the owner "M.L." for Mary Lincoln, on the flap. It housed an embossed doily-style Valentine (some faults) inscribed in pencil on the inside: "From Taddie A. Lincoln Feb. 14th 1867". This is the third item in the grouping. The handwriting is not that of Mary Todd Lincoln nor Tad Lincoln (who had difficulty writing and typically asked others to write for him). Given the envelope that it came in, we believe it was given to Mary Todd Lincoln who, in turn, gave it to her Chicago friend and neighbor, Mrs. Fowler. The identification is likely in Mrs. Fowler's handwriting. We also include a damaged CDV of President Lincoln and Tad.

The valentine is listed on a partial 20th-century Letter of Provenance, a copy of which we include in the lot. It, along with other Mary Todd Lincoln items, descended in the Fowler Family and are here offered at auction for the first time."

[L Verge]

As a collector of antique valentines (1800-1920), I would have killed to get this one!

[Anita]

Thanks Eva for posting the details. I couldn't find in time to post before I left for work. Tad's photo was also new to me also. I thought the lot of items sold for low price.

[STS Lincolnite]

As with several others, that image of Tad was new to me. I think it may be a reversed image. Hard to tell for sure (I usually look for shirt or coat buttons to help figure that out). I think in every other image of Tad I have seen, his hair is parted on the other side.

I would really like to see a high quality scan of this image. I think it might give a more clear view of Tad's facial features and shed more light on John M. Hutchinson's theory that Tad had a cleft lip and or a cleft palate contributing to his speech impediments.

[RJNorton]

(02-15-2017 12:41 PM)STS Lincolnite Wrote:  I would really like to see a high quality scan of this image. I think it might give a more clear view of Tad's facial features and shed more light on John M. Hutchinson's theory that Tad had a cleft lip and or a cleft palate contributing to his speech impediments.

Thanks for mentioning Dr. Hutchinson, Scott. There is an excellent and detailed article here.

[ScholarInTraining]

"Taddie A. Lincoln", huh? I never knew he had a middle initial -- much less a middle name! How interesting!

[RJNorton]

(12-13-2017 05:49 PM)ScholarInTraining Wrote:  "Taddie A. Lincoln", huh? I never knew he had a middle initial -- much less a middle name! How interesting!

Mari, that is new to me, also. I think it is wrong. Perhaps whoever wrote "Taddie A. Lincoln" (Mrs. Fowler?) did not know he didn't have a middle name (or initial)?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Perhaps whoever wrote meant to link to Abraham. (It's quite usual in Scandinavia and Russia to add the father's name.)

[kerry]

The Ida Tarbell papers have an interview with Alexander Williamson. He states that Tad was tongue-tied (too much tissue attaching his tongue to the jaw) and he urged a frenectomy, which Lincoln approved but Mary shut down for fear he would bleed to death. Probably the right decision given the state of surgery at that time. I've seen it suggested he had a cleft palate because of his speech and difficulty eating, but I've never seen a source for the latter.

[ScholarInTraining]

(12-17-2017 06:26 PM)kerry Wrote:  The Ida Tarbell papers have an interview with Alexander Williamson. He states that Tad was tongue-tied (too much tissue attaching his tongue to the jaw) and he urged a frenectomy, which Lincoln approved but Mary shut down for fear he would bleed to death. Probably the right decision given the state of surgery at that time. I've seen it suggested he had a cleft palate because of his speech and difficulty eating, but I've never seen a source for the latter.

Did you mean to attach this to the "left/right handed" thread? :-)

[kerry]

(12-17-2017 06:37 PM)ScholarInTraining Wrote:  

(12-17-2017 06:26 PM)kerry Wrote:  The Ida Tarbell papers have an interview with Alexander Williamson. He states that Tad was tongue-tied (too much tissue attaching his tongue to the jaw) and he urged a frenectomy, which Lincoln approved but Mary shut down for fear he would bleed to death. Probably the right decision given the state of surgery at that time. I've seen it suggested he had a cleft palate because of his speech and difficulty eating, but I've never seen a source for the latter.

Did you mean to attach this to the "left/right handed" thread? :-)

Oops, yes, sorry! Don't know how I managed that.