Lot 68
  • 68

[Abraham Lincoln]

Estimate
2,000 - 4,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • First inaugural address in New-York Semi-Weekly Tribune. New York, 5 March 1861
  • Paper, Ink
Broadsheets (21 3/8 x 16 1/4 in.; 543 x 413 mm).  8 pp., most likely extracted from a bound run of the paper; horizontal and vertical folds, occasional foxing and dampstaining, left margin somewhat uneven from removal from binding.

Condition

As described in catalogue entry.
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

A FIRST DAY, FRONT PAGE PRINTING OF LINCOLN'S FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS, APPEALING TO THE "BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE" TO AVOID WAR.

"One section of our country believes slavery is right and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong and ought not to be extended. This is the only substantial … I am loathe to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."

First-day printings of Lincoln's first inaugural address are scarce in today's market.