Lincoln's Wedding Ring

[antiquefinder]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new here to this forum and this is my first posting- here it goes....Did Abraham Lincoln wear a wedding ring? Was it protocol for a married man of that era to wear a wedding ring or did the wives just wear them?

Thanks- Gloria

[BettyO]

In my research, I found that some men DID wear wedding bands in the Victorian era, but it was not usually the norm. The wife almost always wore a plain gold band.

Here - General Hartranft does NOT wear a band - but Dr. Porter, standing behind him does -- and on his RIGHT hand; not his left.....

[L Verge]

I am not an expert on this, but I agree with Betty that it was not the norm for men to wear wedding rings. My hunch would be that it might depend on their vocation (just as it often does today). Men engaged in manual labor would be less inclined to wear a ring. Others with "desk jobs" might.

My family, in general, did not bury loved ones with wedding bands on. Therefore, I have a small collection of ones dating back to the early-1800s. There is only one male's ring in the lot of about 6-8.

[antiquefinder]

Thank you Betty and Lori. Always heard about Mary Todd Lincoln's ring that Abe gave her with an inscription in it and always wondered if Abe had one.

[LincolnMan]

And why was he wearing the wedding band on his right hand? Anybody know? Any guesses?

[antiquefinder]

Is that definetly a wedding band on his right finger or just a ring?

[L Verge]

Could Dr. Porter have been Jewish? I believe they wear wedding bands on the opposite hand. Perhaps he was left-handed and was more comfortable with the ring on his less active hand? Just guesses.

[BettyO]

A Jewish friend of mine told me that yes, they wear their rings on the right hand -- and so do a lot of Europeans! Don't know what that would have to do with Porter, unless he was Jewish.... perhaps it was just a 19th Century custom which was a "hold over" from European ancestors? Again, like Laurie says - it's just simply guesses.... yes I'd say that was a wedding ring on Porter's hand. In the same photo, the portly gentleman to the right of Porter seated near Rath has on a ring which definitely seems to be a kind of Intaglio (reverse cameo) of some sort....

[L Verge]

Two of our former volunteers at Surratt House came back from New Jersey today to participate in our Christmas event. Both of them are expert historians in the social and cultural history of the 19th century. I posed the question to them about the use of wedding rings by men of that era, and both agreed that it was 50-50 and largely depended on occupation and wealth. They had never heard nor read of Mr. Lincoln ever wearing a ring of any kind.

As for our noticing a wedding band on Porter's right hand in one of the photos above, they said that it was not unusual for men and women of that day to wear their wedding bands on the right hand. It was a matter of choice and comfort.

They also noted that it was probably more frequent for a man of the middle or upper class to wear a pinky ring than a wedding band. It was the style of the day. We know that Mr. Booth liked pinky rings.

In another thread mention was made about men's mustaches, beards, etc. I could not remember what the style was called that sported a short goatee under the bottom lip. Every now and then the brain lights up. The style was called an Imperial.

[antiquefinder]

(12-15-2012 07:19 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Two of our former volunteers at Surratt House came back from New Jersey today to participate in our Christmas event. Both of them are expert historians in the social and cultural history of the 19th century. I posed the question to them about the use of wedding rings by men of that era, and both agreed that it was 50-50 and largely depended on occupation and wealth. They had never heard nor read of Mr. Lincoln ever wearing a ring of any kind.

As for our noticing a wedding band on Porter's right hand in one of the photos above, they said that it was not unusual for men and women of that day to wear their wedding bands on the right hand. It was a matter of choice and comfort.
Thanks Laurie. I certainly don't remember seeing Abe with a ring.
They also noted that it was probably more frequent for a man of the middle or upper class to wear a pinky ring than a wedding band. It was the style of the day. We know that Mr. Booth liked pinky rings.

In another thread mention was made about men's mustaches, beards, etc. I could not remember what the style was called that sported a short goatee under the bottom lip. Every now and then the brain lights up. The style was called an Imperial.

---

Thanks Laurie. I never remember seeing or hearing that Abe wore a wedding ring.

[Hess1865]

BTW, the inscription inside Mary's ring read, 'Love Is Eternal'.