{"product_id":"abraham-lincoln-death-room-wallpaper-fragment-petersen-house-1865","title":"Abraham Lincoln Death Room Wallpaper Fragment, Petersen House, 1865","description":"\u003ch2 data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBibliographic \u0026amp; Historical Details\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul data-spread=\"false\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eItem: Original historical wallpaper fragment\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOrigin: Petersen House, Washington, D.C., USA\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeriod: Nineteenth century\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorical Association: Death of President Abraham Lincoln, 15 April 1865\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions: Approximately 25 × 17 mm (1 × 0.66 inches), as stated in the accompanying documentation\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProvenance: Petersen House; Marsteller collection; Heritage Auctions, 2011; subsequent private collection\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDocumentation: Copy of a 1980 National Park Service examination letter and accompanying provenance paperwork\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHistorical Background\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn the evening of 14 April 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while attending a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Mortally wounded, Lincoln was carried across the street to the Petersen House, where he was placed in a small bedroom.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe died the following morning, 15 April 1865, at approximately 7:22 a.m.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Petersen House subsequently became one of America's most significant historical landmarks, preserving the memory of Lincoln's final hours.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis small wallpaper fragment originates from the historic death room and represents a tangible connection to one of the defining moments in American history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthentication \u0026amp; National Park Service Documentation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAccompanying the fragment is a copy of an official letter dated 1 October 1980, issued by the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Capital Region.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAddressed to Mr. Charlie Marsteller of Annapolis, Maryland, the letter documents an examination of wallpaper samples originating from Lincoln's death room.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNational Park Service staff separated the wallpaper layers through a soaking process and compared them with specimens recovered during the 1932 restoration of the Petersen House.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTheir examination identified several historical layers, including a lower layer consistent with wallpaper present during Lincoln's death in 1865. Other layers were associated with the late nineteenth century, when the property operated as a private Lincoln museum.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe examination confirmed the historical origin of the submitted wallpaper sample, although the precise date of this individual fragment's layer has not been independently established.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe accompanying documentation traces the wallpaper to the collection of Charlie Marsteller, whose sample was examined by the National Park Service in 1980.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis specimen is accompanied by a copy of the National Park Service letter, photographic documentation and the previous seller's provenance statement.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCondition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA small, irregularly shaped fragment of nineteenth-century patterned wallpaper, retaining portions of its greenish-gold decorative design against a pale background.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExpected age-related wear and losses to the edges, consistent with its historical nature and small size.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe fragment is housed within a transparent protective sleeve. Accompanying documentation is preserved separately.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhy Collect This Piece?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn unusual opportunity to acquire a documented historical relic associated with the final hours of Abraham Lincoln.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUnlike conventional commemorative memorabilia, this fragment originates from the Petersen House itself, with its historical association supported by a National Park Service examination and a traceable auction provenance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn appealing addition to a collection of American presidential history, Civil War memorabilia, historical ephemera or nineteenth-century material culture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Momo Rare Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55469386203475,"sku":null,"price":350.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0953\/9187\/5411\/files\/IMG_9634.jpg?v=1792237591","url":"https:\/\/www.momorarebooks.co.uk\/products\/abraham-lincoln-death-room-wallpaper-fragment-petersen-house-1865","provider":"Momo Rare Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}