A Nation in Tears: 150 Years after Lincoln's Death: An Exhibition Held in the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 12 February - 4 May 2015

The sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and funeral is commemorated by this exhibition. Items include a copy of the initial printing of Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865; an uncut copy of the New York Herald of April 15, the first paper to report the President's assassination; an oversize lithograph of Lincoln on his deathbed surrounded by numerous dignitaries; and issues of the National Police Gazette which featured vignettes of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, and his co-conspirators. ”A Nation in Tears” will also include plaster casts of the President's hands and a piece of the blood-stained pillow slip on which Lincoln's head was laid. In addition, the exhibition will display photographs of ceremonies in cities along the route of the funeral train from Washington, D.C., to Springfield, Illinois, as well as sermons, hymns, and artifacts which document the nation's mourning.