A DRAMATIC ARTISTIC RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION

(LINCOLN, Abraham). SARTAIN, John, engraver. Mezzotint: Abraham Lincoln, the Martyr, Victorious. Philadelphia: W.H. Hermans, 1866. Oversized folio. Plate measures 22 by 17 inches, sheet measures 28 by 22 inches, matted and framed, entire piece measures 28 by 34 inches. $7200.

Publisher's proof copy (with printed statement thus) of a large, striking tribute to Lincoln as martyr.

Abraham Lincoln ascends to heaven, welcomed by George Washington and a crowd of angels—one of the angels holding a palm branch and a laurel wreath over his head—in this remarkable mezzotint done by John Sartain after a painting by W.H. Hermans. Sartain (1808-1897), a respected painter and printmaker, was an early proponent of mezzotint engraving in the United States and the head of a family of artists including Samuel, Henry, William, Emily and Harriet Sartain. Mounted on wove paper.

Backing leaf and plate edges with pinholes in corners; minor spotting to edges, very faint crease to center. Small paper label in lower left corner. An impressive print, beautifully framed.