SIGNATURE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN TIPPED IN TO CAMPAIGN-ERA BIOGRAPHY WITH ALBUMEN PORTRAIT

D.W. BARTLETT. The Life and Public Services of Hon. Abraham Lincoln; with a Portrait on Steel. To Which Is Added a Biographical Sketch of Hon. Hannibal Hamlin. New York: Derby & Jackson, 1860. WITH autograph cut signature of Abraham Lincoln, boldly penned in brown ink and neatly tipped in at the front, together with a period albumen photographic portrait of Lincoln, mounted to a blank leaf.

Published in 1860 as part of the presidential campaign that would carry Lincoln to the White House, Bartlett’s biography represents one of the earliest authorized life narratives issued to introduce the Illinois lawyer to a national electorate. Such campaign biographies document the deliberate shaping of Lincoln’s public image on the eve of secession.

The tipped-in signature, “Abraham Lincoln,” displays the characteristic forward slant, open capital “A,” and rhythmic terminal flourish of Lincoln’s mature hand. Cut signatures were frequently preserved from letters or documents by nineteenth-century collectors. Here, the autograph has been integrated into the contemporary life of its signer.

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