Government, Politics, and Reform

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln are all represented in the Museum's collections—by a surveying compass, a lap desk, and a top hat, among other artifacts. But the roughly 100,000 objects in this collection reach beyond the possessions of statesmen to touch the broader political life of the nation—in election campaigns, the women's suffrage movement, labor activity, civil rights, and many other areas. Campaign objects make up much of the collection, including posters, novelties, ballots, voting machines, and many others. A second group includes general political history artifacts, such as first ladies' clothing and accessories, diplomatic materials, ceremonial objects, national symbols, and paintings and sculptures of political figures. The third main area focuses on artifacts related to political reform movements, from labor unions to antiwar groups.

Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by William R.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by William R. Pywell, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
The Old Capitol Prison, previous to the war, was a dingy, crumbling structure, with rambling passages, and with quaint rooms where one least expected to find them. The staircases ran up about the building with a sort of uncertainty that bewildered the visitor, and dust and cob-webs hung upon its walls so thick, that one walked cautiously along its floors, lest a heavy tread should bring down the accumulated filth of years upon his head. Congress ordered its erection during the war of 1812, for its own use until the Capitol, burned by the British, could be rebuilt; and after the completion of the latter, this establishment was used as a boarding house for members. The lower part of the city becoming the centre of business, the Old Capitol was abandoned by its lodgers, and rapidly sunk to decay; some of the lower class occasionally renting apartments, but never remaining any length of time. At the commencement of the war, its only tenant was an humble German, who managed to subsist himself and family, as a cobbler, and who was not at all displeased at the sudden termination of his lease by the military authorities. Iron bars were placed in the windows, the doors of the several apartments were strengthened, and the building soon became notorious as a prison for military offenders, prisoners of state and captured rebels. Many prominent Confederate Generals have been confined in it, and scores of citizens engaged in disloyal practices, suddenly found their plans frustrated, and themselves on their way to its cells before they could give a word of warning to associates. Captain Wirz, the Andersonville prison-keeper, was imprisoned here, and expiated his crimes upon the gallows in its yard, as had numbers of offenders before him.
When occupied by prisoners, its windows were generally crowded by its inmates, and passers by were not allowed to stop at any time on the opposite side of the street, lest they should attempt to communicate, by signs, with those within the prison. The regulations required that all correspondence and reading matter, as well as food for the prisoners should be closely scrutinized, so as to prevent any improper communication or aid from the outside. Among the plans for conveying money and messages from external sources, was that of secreting in packages of smoking tobacco the object to be transmitted. This, however, was early detected, and afterwards was never attempted with success. Underscoring words in books, at long intervals, so that when taken together they would embody a sentence, was not unusual with the prisoners when about to return to their friends volumes that had been loaned them for perusal. The latter occasioned considerable labor to the officers of the prison, every book going to or from the inmates being carefully examined, not only for messages of this kind, but for communications that might be concealed between leaves pasted together. The prisoners attempted to tunnel out several times, but never with success. A few escaped from the windows, but most of them who undertook it were discovered and recaptured. One young man fixed a spring-board in an upper window, and attempted to jump out into the street, but broke his leg, and by his signal failure discouraged any other efforts to escape in this manner. A strong guard was always kept in the passages of the prison as well as on the streets surrounding it, and during the last two years of the war, none ever succeeded in eluding the vigilance of their keepers.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0283.40
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0283.40
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.On the evening of the 7th of April, 1865, General Grant first forwarded, under a flag of truce, a letter to Gen.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
On the evening of the 7th of April, 1865, General Grant first forwarded, under a flag of truce, a letter to Gen. Lee, demanding the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, in order to avoid the further effusion of blood. That army had re-crossed the Appomattox river at High Bridge and Farmville, closely pressed by Sheridan's cavalry and the Armies of the Potomac and James. On the 8th, some correspondence passed between the two Commanding Generals, the one army retreating towards Lynchburg, followed by the Second and Sixth Corps, whilst the cavalry and the Fifth and Twenty-Fourth Corps made forced marches in order to pass around and gain the front of the enemy. About noon on the 9th, the head of the Second Corps, when within three miles of Appomattox Court-House, came up with the rear guard of the enemy; and at the same time, Gen. Lee, in person, appeared with a flag of truce, and, by letter, asked for a suspension of hostilities, pending negotiations for a surrender. About four o'clock in the afternoon of that eventful Sunday, the glad tidings was announced throughout the Union Armies that the Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered. The excitement among our troops was unparalleled, officers and men uniting in the most extravagant demonstrations of joy. The photograph represents the house in which the terms of capitulation between Generals Grant and Lee were signed. The apple tree (about half a mile from the Court-House) under which they first met, has been entirely carried away in pieces, as mementoes, not even the roots remaining.
It is a singular fact that the owner of this house, Mr. McLean, was living on the first Bull Run battle-field at the time of that engagement, and afterwards removed to this place for the purpose of being secure from the visitation of an army.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1865-04
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0283.49
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0283.49
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.The Old Tobacco Warehouse is too well known to need much description.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
The Old Tobacco Warehouse is too well known to need much description. This view was taken after the time was passed when Union officers and men looked wearily through the tiara at the monotonous flow of the James, and wondered how much longer they could endure without going mad; or peeping out into the street at the risk of being fired at by some sentry, watched the relief on its rounds, or the arrival of more prisoners to swell the already overcrowded numbers in durance. The Union flag floats upon the building, and the tables are turned. Rebel prisoners occupy the floors, so lately filled by Northern soldiers, with permission to kick up their heels to their hearts' content. There is a little crowd around the door at the corner, formed of destitute persona seeking relief. It was in this office the Union prisoners were received by the prison-keepers, and coolly dispoiled of any little trifles left about their persona, by their captors. The lower windows on the end of the building, light some of the small cells in the foundation, where officers were placed for punishment. It was here that Captains Flynn and Sawyer were confined, pending the retaliatory execution, to which they were condemned by the rebel authorities, and fortunately prevented by the prompt measures adopted by our Government. When Turner – brother of the notorious Dick – gave himself up, to escape vengeance at the hands of the soldiers, he was deposited in one of these places, that he might have a chance to appreciate the misery of some of those he had so ruthlessly confined there. This view of the Libby is taken from Castle Thunder, a warehouse of the same order of architecture.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1865-04
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0283.39
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0283.39
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
The Village of Fairfax Court-House, Virginia, eighteen miles from Washington, was, previous to the rebellion, one of the loveliest of the State. Numbering about three thousand inhabitants, with three large hotels, two fine churches, and a flourishing female institute, the place had become of considerable importance at the time of secession, from which it was the first to suffer. Each of the many commands which occupied the town during the war added to the work of devastation commenced in 1861, and long before peace was announced its comeliness had departed. Its best houses were burned, the churches were converted into hospitals, and then into stables, while the venerable Court-House was stripped of its wood-work, leaving only the naked walls and roof. In 1864, loop-holes were cut through the sides of the building for riflemen and troops stationed in it to repel any attack that might be made by guerillas who constantly hovered in the vicinity. The records kept here were of great historical interest, dating from the early settlement of Virginia, and including many documents in the writing of General Washington. A great number of these were carried off by curiosity hunters in the sacking which took place in September, 1862, and a still greater number were ruthlessly destroyed by the soldiery. Generals McClellan and Hooker each temporarily had their headquarters here when in command of the Army of the Potomac, as did also the lamented Sumner, and other officers of equal rank. The battle-field of Bull Run is ten miles distant, and Chantilly, where the gallant Kearney and Stephens fell, but five miles away.
The village is now, however, rapidly recovering from its misfortunes. Shattered houses have been repaired, families are returning to their homes, the Court-House is being put in order for the occupation of the courts, and, under the influence of Northern enterprise, the town promises soon to wear even more beauty than it ever knew before.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1863-06
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.03
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.03
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Timothy H. O'Sullivan, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
This place is the county seat of Charles City County, about twenty-five miles southeast from Richmond, and is a fair specimen of many Virginia Court-Houses. This neighborhood was the scene of a number of severe cavalry fights during the war, the Court-House, in 1862, being only three miles from the intrenched camp of Gen. McClellan, whose army marched past the village in its retreat from before Richmond to Fortress Monroe. Gen. Meade's army, in 1864, again occupied this section, and passed over its roads from Coal Harbor to Petersburg, when the building was sacked by the troops, and many of the records were destroyed. There were but two or three dwellings and a church composing the village, and a stranger might pass through the place without dreaming that it possessed a name. Its history dates from the early settlement of Virginia, and the cemeteries round about it contain the names of those who passed away one hundred years ago.
The return of peace has here failed to quicken the people, and everything is rapidly sinking to decay. The aristocratic families, impoverished by the war, and deprived of the labor of their slaves, barely manage to live, and the whole country along the James is rapidly becoming overgrown with scrub timber and chaparral.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1864-06
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0283.18
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0283.18
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals. There is a hole at the top so the medal could be worn on an article of clothing.
Obverse: Bust of George McClellan facing left. The legend reads: MAJOR GENERAL G.B. McCLELLAN WAR OF 1861.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1864
depicted
McClellan, George B.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1158
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1158
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1864. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of George B. McClellan facing left, two branches underneath the bust. Legend: MAJOR GENERAL GEO B McCLELLAN.
Reverse: Shield with legend: YORKSTOWN/WILLIAMSBURG/FAIR OAKS/SEVEN PINES/MALVERN HILL. Ribbon reads “ANTIETAM.” Shield is surrounded by four flags with eagle perched above.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1864
depicted
McClellan, George B.
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1207
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1207
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1861. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1861. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and medals. This medal was struck in reaction to the secession of the Confederacy and the election of its President, Jefferson Davis.
Obverse: Image of a man being hanged on a gallows. The legend reads: JEFFERSON DAVIS 1861.
Reverse: Legend reads: DEATH TO TRAITORS.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1861
referenced
Davis, Jefferson
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1128
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1128
This inaugural medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1889. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This inaugural medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1889. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer and is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
Obverse: Bust of Benjamin Harrison facing left. The legend reads: BENJAMIN HARRISON PRESIDENT OF THE U.S.
Reverse: Image of the United States Capitol with the legend: INAUGURATED MARCH 4, 1889.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1889
depicted
Harrison, Benjamin
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1230
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1230
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children.
Description
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation. This torch is shaped like a glass ballot jar.
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
1880 - 1884
ID Number
PL.227739.1880.H4
accession number
227739
catalog number
227739.1880.H4
This is one of the first models of Liberty cast in the United States. Often described as the American Committee Model, this statuette was produced in the tens of thousands.
Description
This is one of the first models of Liberty cast in the United States. Often described as the American Committee Model, this statuette was produced in the tens of thousands. It was sold to subscribers to finance the construction of a pedestal for the full-size statue in New York Harbor.
Based upon the design of the French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, with Bartholdi’s full cooperation, the miniature statues were produced in six- and twelve-inch sizes. A national newspaper campaign advertised statuettes at one dollar for the six-inch model seen here or five dollars for a twelve-inch version. Richard Butler, a New York–based rubber manufacturer, chaired the American Committee of the Statue of Liberty and oversaw the models’ production.
The campaign disseminated likenesses of Liberty throughout the United States and the world, turning the figure into a household souvenir while raising more than enough money for the construction of the monumental stone pedestal. The finished monument, Liberty Enlightening the World, was dedicated October 28, 1886.
Gift of Richard Butler, Secretary of the American Committee on the Statue of Liberty, 1885
date made
ca 1885
associated date
1879-02-18
associated institution
Statue of Liberty
ID Number
PL.001650
catalog number
1650
accession number
16237
On April 9, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee met in the home of Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, to negotiate the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to the United States Army.
Description
On April 9, 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant and General Robert E. Lee met in the home of Wilmer McLean at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, to negotiate the surrender of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to the United States Army. Sitting in the chair on the left, Lee discussed the fate of his troops. Grant then, leaning over an oval table, drafted and signed the final terms of surrender. While there were still Confederate troops in the field under other commanders, Lee's surrender effectively marked the end of the Civil War.
Union officers, recognizing the significance of the event, individually took pieces of furniture as souvenirs. General E. W. Whitaker grabbed Lee's chair, General Henry Capehart claimed Grant's chair, and General Philip Sheridan took the table and presented it to the wife of Major General George Amstrong Custer. In three separate donations, by 1915, these items were reunited at the Smithsonian Institution.
Date made
before 1865
associated date
1865-04-09
user
Lee, Robert Edward
ID Number
PL.015820
catalog number
15820
accession number
59140
catalog number
15820
associated date
1880 06 24
ID Number
PL.227739.1880.W01
catalog number
227739.1880.W01
accession number
227739
This presidential campaign pin was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1888. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign pin was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1888. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals. The pin is in the shape of a clover.
Obverse: Bust of Benjamin Harrison facing left. The legend reads: HE’S ALL RIGHT. HARRISON.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1888
depicted
Harrison, William Henry
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1161
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1161
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II.
Description
Text and photograph from Gardner's Photographic Sketchbook of the War, Vol. II. Negative by Alexander Gardner, text and positive by Alexander Gardner.
On the 1st of October, 1862, two weeks after the battle of Antietam, President Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac, encamped near Harper's Ferry, in Maryland. He was accompanied on his trip by Major General McClernand and Staff, Colonel Lamon, the Marshal of the District of Columbia, and Mr. Garrett, President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The President reached General Sumner's headquarters, on Bolivar Heights, at Harper's Ferry, on Wednesday, occupied the afternoon in reviewing the forces at that position, and spent the night at General Sumner's quarters. On Thursday morning he recrossed the Potomac, and was met by General McClellan and Staff, who conducted him during that and the following day over the scenes of the recent battle, and in reviewing the various Corps and Divisions of the Army, extending over a space of several miles. The evening and night of Thursday and Friday the President spent at General McClellan's quarters, occupying much of the time in private conversation with him. In this conversation, it is said, that when the President alluded to the complaints that were being made of the slowness of the General's movements, General McClellan replied, "You may find those who will go faster than I, Mr. President; but it is very doubtful if you will find many who will go further."
On Saturday, the President set out on his return home, accompanied by General McClellan as far as Middletown, but on the way, riding over the battle-field of South Mountain, the leading incidents of which, the scenes of particularly desparate conflicts, the names of the Corps and officers engaged, &c., were pointed out and described by the General, as he had previously done those of the great battle of Antietam; in all of which the President evinced a deep interest. The President then proceeded to Frederick, where he was received by the people with the most enthusiastic demonstrations of respect, and reached Washington in a special train at ten o'clock at night.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1862-10
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Gardner, Alexander
ID Number
1986.0711.0334.23
accession number
1986.0711
catalog number
1986.0711.0334.23
Electricity pioneer Lewis Latimer drew this component of an arc lamp, an early type of electric light, for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company in 1880.The son of escaped slaves and a Civil War veteran at age sixteen, Latimer trained himself as a draftsman.
Description
Electricity pioneer Lewis Latimer drew this component of an arc lamp, an early type of electric light, for the U.S. Electric Lighting Company in 1880.
The son of escaped slaves and a Civil War veteran at age sixteen, Latimer trained himself as a draftsman. His technical and artistic skills earned him jobs with Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison, among others. An inventor in his own right, Latimer received numerous patents and was a renowned industry expert on incandescent lighting.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1880-07-25
maker
Latimer, Lewis H.
ID Number
1983.0458.21
accession number
1983.0458
catalog number
1983.0458.21
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in 1861. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This medal was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut in 1861. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals. The medal has a hole in its top so that it could be worn on an article of clothing.
Obverse: Bust of Abraham Lincoln facing right. Legend that reads: ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. /WAR OF 1861.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1861
depicted
Lincoln, Abraham
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1131
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1131
This presidential campaign pin was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1888. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today.
Description (Brief)
This presidential campaign pin was made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company of Waterbury, Connecticut around 1888. The Scovill Company was established in 1802 as a button manufacturer that is still in business today. Scovill was an early industrial American innovator, adapting armory manufacturing processes to mass-produce a variety of consumer goods including buttons, daguerreotype mats, and campaign medals.
This pin has a head in the shape of a clover, and would have been worn. Each leaf is inscribed with a different word. The legend reads: RECIPROCATION PROTECTION OUR NATION’S PRIDE HARRISON.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1888
referenced
Harrison, Benjamin
maker
Scovill Manufacturing Company
ID Number
1981.0296.1196
accession number
1981.0296
catalog number
1981.0296.1196
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children.
Description
The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation.
date made
1888
ID Number
1978.0937.01
accession number
1978.0937
catalog number
1978.0937.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
1888
associated person
Harrison, Benjamin
associated institution
Republican National Party
ID Number
PL.227739.1888.T08
catalog number
227739.1888.T08
These cards are from a deck which promoted the 1888 re-election campaign of Grover Cleveland, the Democratic nominee for president. Cleveland is featured as each of the four kings. First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland is shown as the queen in each suit.
Description
These cards are from a deck which promoted the 1888 re-election campaign of Grover Cleveland, the Democratic nominee for president. Cleveland is featured as each of the four kings. First Lady Frances Folsom Cleveland is shown as the queen in each suit. The jacks are Senator Allen Thurman of Ohio, Cleveland's vice presidential running mate. The joker features a rooster, a popular symbol of the Democratic party after 1840. Such cards were a common way of merchandizing during elections, representing profitable sales items for manufacturers, and easy ways of declaring political interest and allegiance by Americans.
Cleveland lost his re-election bid to the Republic nominee, Benjamin Harrison, former senator from Indiana. Cleveland returned the favor, defeating Harrison in his re-election run in 1892.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c. 1884
associated person
Cleveland, Grover
depicted (sitter)
Cleveland, Frances Folsom
Thurman, Allen G.
ID Number
PL.126106
accession number
21245
catalog number
126106
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Associated Date
1888
associated person
Cleveland, Grover
associated institution
Democratic National Party
ID Number
PL.227739.1888.T16
catalog number
227739.1888.T16
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1888-08-30
Associated Date
1888
associated person
Cleveland, Grover
ID Number
PL.227739.1888.T05
catalog number
227739.1888.T05
The scope and brutality of the Civil War quickly challenged the military resources of the North and South. The Confederacy and the Union established general compulsory military service. Many considered the draft an infringement on their individual liberty.
Description
The scope and brutality of the Civil War quickly challenged the military resources of the North and South. The Confederacy and the Union established general compulsory military service. Many considered the draft an infringement on their individual liberty. Critics charged class discrimination, as the North and South draft laws provided financial ways to avoid service. The debate over a military draft has continued ever since. Today all men are required to register for Selective Service at eighteen years of age. This draft notice was issued for Edrick Frear on April 7, 1864.
date made
1864
ID Number
PL.223929.01
accession number
223929
catalog number
223929.01

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