{"product_id":"mary-lincoln-owned-signed-life-of-washington-ex-lincoln-pres-museum","title":"Mary Lincoln Owned \u0026 Signed \"Life of Washington\" ex. Lincoln Pres. Museum","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"48\" data-end=\"178\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"48\" data-end=\"58\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"58\" data-end=\"61\"\u003e\nMary Lincoln Owned \u0026amp; Signed 1860 Volume IV – \u003cem data-start=\"98\" data-end=\"125\"\u003eLife of George Washington\u003c\/em\u003e by Washington Irving – From Lincoln Family Library\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"180\" data-end=\"610\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"180\" data-end=\"196\"\u003eDescription:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"196\" data-end=\"199\"\u003e\nOriginal 1860 edition of \u003cem data-start=\"224\" data-end=\"255\"\u003eThe Life of George Washington\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"257\" data-end=\"270\"\u003eVolume IV\u003c\/strong\u003e of Washington Irving’s celebrated five-part biography, \u003cstrong data-start=\"326\" data-end=\"369\"\u003eboldly signed and dated by Mary Lincoln\u003c\/strong\u003e—“Mary Lincoln \/ 1860”—on the front flyleaf. This volume originates from the \u003cstrong data-start=\"446\" data-end=\"472\"\u003eLincoln family library\u003c\/strong\u003e and was part of the renowned \u003cstrong data-start=\"502\" data-end=\"537\"\u003eLouise \u0026amp; Barry Taper Collection\u003c\/strong\u003e, formerly held at the \u003cstrong data-start=\"560\" data-end=\"609\"\u003eAbraham Lincoln Presidential Library \u0026amp; Museum\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"612\" data-end=\"1070\"\u003eBound in full brown leather with ornate gilt tooling to the spine and contrasting black and green title labels, the book features marbled endpapers and retains excellent structural integrity. The flyleaf bearing Mary Lincoln’s ownership signature is clean and crisp, with her handwriting in strong, period ink. The volume measures approximately 5\" x 7.5\" x 1.25\", with some rubbing to the board edges and spine consistent with mid-19th century library usage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"612\" data-end=\"1070\"\u003e\u003cspan id=\"lotData\" data-currency-code=\"USD\" data-lot-ref=\"9B34B7CB82\" data-member-id=\"5393305\" data-outbid=\"true\" data-pending=\"false\" data-bid-placed=\"true\" data-high-bidder=\"false\" data-is-timed=\"false\" data-ga-data=\"{}\"\u003eEx.\n Lincoln Family Library, with Mary Lincoln's ownership signature; Louise\n \u0026amp; Barry Taper Collection at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential \nLibrary \u0026amp; Museum. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1072\" data-end=\"1649\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"1072\" data-end=\"1095\"\u003eHistorical Context:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"1095\" data-end=\"1098\"\u003e\nThis signed volume holds profound symbolic value, dating to \u003cstrong data-start=\"1158\" data-end=\"1166\"\u003e1860\u003c\/strong\u003e, the year Abraham Lincoln campaigned for and was elected President of the United States. On \u003cstrong data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1280\"\u003eFebruary 27, 1860\u003c\/strong\u003e, Lincoln delivered his now-legendary \u003cstrong data-start=\"1318\" data-end=\"1342\"\u003eCooper Union Address\u003c\/strong\u003e in New York City—an event that transformed him from a regional figure into a national political force. During the address, Lincoln quoted directly from \u003cstrong data-start=\"1495\" data-end=\"1535\"\u003eGeorge Washington’s Farewell Address\u003c\/strong\u003e, referencing it as moral and constitutional support for the Republican platform against the expansion of slavery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1651\" data-end=\"1726\"\u003eThe quote—taken from \u003cstrong data-start=\"1672\" data-end=\"1684\"\u003eVolume V\u003c\/strong\u003e of Irving’s \u003cem data-start=\"1697\" data-end=\"1717\"\u003eLife of Washington\u003c\/em\u003e—reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote data-start=\"1727\" data-end=\"1856\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1729\" data-end=\"1856\"\u003e“Some of you delight to flaunt in our faces the warning against sectional parties given by Washington in his Farewell Address.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1858\" data-end=\"2234\"\u003eWhile the present volume is \u003cstrong data-start=\"1886\" data-end=\"1899\"\u003eVolume IV\u003c\/strong\u003e, it belongs to the same definitive five-volume biography by Irving, first completed in 1859. Its presence in the Lincoln household, personally signed and dated by Mary, confirms the family’s deep engagement with Washington’s legacy at a moment when Abraham Lincoln was about to assume the role of national unifier in a time of crisis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2236\" data-end=\"2694\"\u003eThis symbolic connection deepened after Lincoln’s election. In March 1861, Mary Lincoln was invited by the \u003cstrong data-start=\"2343\" data-end=\"2379\"\u003eMount Vernon Ladies’ Association\u003c\/strong\u003e for a private visit to Washington’s estate. Just weeks later, with Virginia’s secession following the attack on Fort Sumter, Mount Vernon fell behind Confederate lines—complicating plans for a presidential visit. Although Abraham Lincoln later sailed past the estate, he never disembarked due to security concerns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2696\" data-end=\"3194\"\u003eOn \u003cstrong data-start=\"2699\" data-end=\"2716\"\u003eJuly 26, 1862\u003c\/strong\u003e, Mary wrote to Commissioner Benjamin Brown French detailing her purchase of $250 in books for the White House Library. Among them were new editions of Shakespeare and Walter Scott’s \u003cem data-start=\"2899\" data-end=\"2909\"\u003eWaverley\u003c\/em\u003e, as well as a \u003cstrong data-start=\"2924\" data-end=\"3014\"\u003ehistory of George Washington personally selected and paid for by the President himself\u003c\/strong\u003e. While that later acquisition was not Irving’s set, it confirms the Lincoln family's continued effort to cultivate a presidential library anchored in the nation’s founding values.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3196\" data-end=\"3493\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3196\" data-end=\"3218\"\u003eMarket Comparison:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"3218\" data-end=\"3221\"\u003e\nIn \u003cstrong data-start=\"3224\" data-end=\"3239\"\u003eAugust 2025\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"3241\" data-end=\"3264\"\u003eUniversity Archives\u003c\/strong\u003e sold a comparable Mary Lincoln signed volume from the same series for \u003cstrong data-start=\"3335\" data-end=\"3346\"\u003e$11,250\u003c\/strong\u003e, including buyer’s premium—demonstrating strong collector demand for Lincoln family-owned books with presidential-era dating and clear provenance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3495\" data-end=\"3532\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3495\" data-end=\"3530\"\u003eAuthentication \u0026amp; Encapsulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-start=\"3533\" data-end=\"4016\"\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3533\" data-end=\"3564\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3535\" data-end=\"3564\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3535\" data-end=\"3549\"\u003eSigned by:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mary Lincoln\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3565\" data-end=\"3596\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3567\" data-end=\"3596\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3567\" data-end=\"3589\"\u003eDate of Signature:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1860\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3597\" data-end=\"3693\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3599\" data-end=\"3693\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3599\" data-end=\"3613\"\u003eItem Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Leather-bound book, \u003cem data-start=\"3634\" data-end=\"3661\"\u003eLife of George Washington\u003c\/em\u003e, Vol. IV by Washington Irving\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3694\" data-end=\"3792\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3696\" data-end=\"3792\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3696\" data-end=\"3711\"\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e Louise \u0026amp; Barry Taper Collection; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library \u0026amp; Museum\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli data-start=\"3793\" data-end=\"4016\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"3795\" data-end=\"4016\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"3795\" data-end=\"3837\"\u003eAdditional Documentation \u0026amp; Provenance:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem data-start=\"3838\" data-end=\"4014\"\u003eAt buyer’s request, Historical Autographs Gallery will include an additional “Historical Autographs Gallery Certificate” signed by our company founder Luke Pascal at no cost.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4018\" data-end=\"4519\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"4018\" data-end=\"4037\"\u003eClosing Appeal:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"4037\" data-end=\"4040\"\u003e\nThis \u003cstrong data-start=\"4045\" data-end=\"4058\"\u003eVolume IV\u003c\/strong\u003e of Washington Irving’s \u003cem data-start=\"4082\" data-end=\"4109\"\u003eLife of George Washington\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cstrong data-start=\"4111\" data-end=\"4155\"\u003esigned and dated by Mary Lincoln in 1860\u003c\/strong\u003e, offers a direct, tangible connection between the nation’s founding president and the man who would soon be called to preserve the Union. With elite provenance, a crisp period signature, and direct ties to Abraham Lincoln’s pivotal campaign year and the Cooper Union Address, this volume is a uniquely powerful relic of American history and presidential legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"4521\" data-end=\"4955\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"4521\" data-end=\"4541\"\u003eShipping Notice:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-start=\"4541\" data-end=\"4544\"\u003e\n\u003cem data-start=\"4544\" data-end=\"4953\"\u003eFor insurance purposes, items sold over $600 may require signature confirmation upon delivery. Higher-value items, likely over $1,500, are shipped via FedEx 2-Day with Direct Signature Confirmation. FedEx provides the most flexibility when requiring a signature, allowing you to make special delivery requests directly through their tracking system. This ensures both security and convenience for the buyer.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"H.A.G.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46718769528995,"sku":"EB-168060185630","price":12495.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0672\/7509\/6227\/files\/57_d7579a77-ee19-4fea-9e49-70628ec3a3a5.jpg?v=1767646929","url":"https:\/\/historicalautographsgallery.com\/products\/mary-lincoln-owned-signed-life-of-washington-ex-lincoln-pres-museum","provider":"H.A.G.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}