Clay Souvenir from the Petersburg Mine with Abraham Lincoln
Virginia, circa 1866.
Diameter: 2 1/4 inches
 
A rare Civil War souvenir fashioned from clay identified on the accompanying handwritten label as being from “The Mine” at Petersburg, Virginia. The obverse bears a relief portrait of Abraham Lincoln within a radiating star, created by pressing a period Lincoln campaign badge directly into the clay while it was still pliable. The reverse bears the original handwritten label identifying the material as “Clay from ‘The Mine’ at Petersburg, Va.” and describing its association with the famous battlefield.
 
The unusual method of manufacture makes the piece a particularly evocative example of Civil War material culture, combining battlefield material with a contemporary political emblem. The use of a campaign badge to impress Lincoln’s likeness into the clay is an inventive and distinctly personal form of commemoration.
 
Condition: Very Fine.