Lot 174
  • 174

Lincoln, Abraham, sixteenth President

Estimate
4,000 - 5,000 USD
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Description

  • paper and ink
Autograph endorsement signed ("A. Lincoln") on the blank leaf of a bifolium letter, one page (7 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.; 190 x 115 mm) by William Pointdexter Thomasson ("Will. P. Thomasson"), Washington, 8 June 1861, appealing to Lincoln to appoint his son Charles a paymaster in the army as promised, docketed on recto of blank leaf "Charles L. Thomasson Ky for Paymastership By his father W.P. Thomasson"; stained, folds reinforced on verso,  hinged to a mat board.

Condition

Autograph endorsement signed ("A. Lincoln") on the blank leaf of a bifolium letter, one page (7 1/4 x 4 3/8 in.; 190 x 115 mm) by William Pointdexter Thomasson ("Will. P. Thomasson"), Washington, 8 June 1861, appealing to Lincoln to appoint his son Charles a paymaster in the army as promised, ocketed on recto of blank leaf "Charles L. Thomasson Ky for Paymastership By his father W.P. Thomasson; stained, folds reinforced on verso, d hinged to a mat board.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

"Please forgive what may be thought over anxiety of a father who has been your firm friend,"  Thomasson pleadingly writes to Lincoln.  Thomasson was a lawyer and former Representative from Louisville, Kentucky  A mutual friend, Joshua F. Speed of Louisville, had endorsed Thomasson's son Charles ("whom he had known since infancy") for an appointment as a paymaster in the army. Speed informed the son that the President had promised him the next appointment after that of a Dr. Wallace. Thomasson elder, having not seen his son in a list of appointments that had been published in a newspaper dated 7 June, hastens to appeal on his son's behalf. Lincoln with all alacrity fulfills his promise with an endorsement dated the same day as the letter: "It must not be long till Mr. Thomason [sic], named within is appointed a Pay-Master."