Lincoln & Johnson Jugate Inauguration Ball Invitation
Washington, D.C., 1865 - 7½ x 10½ inches
 
An engraved invitation for the “National Inauguration Ball March 4th 1865,” issued for the second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. The design presents jugate portraits of Lincoln and Johnson beneath the printed heading, framed by monumental columns surmounted by eagles and entwined with patriotic ribbons bearing slogans including E Pluribus Unum and “We Are One and Indissoluble.” Engraved by Dempsey & O’Toole of Washington, D.C., the sheet is among the most visually elaborate and desirable of all nineteenth-century inaugural ball invitations.
 
Notably, the space for the invitee’s name remains unfilled, as is typical for surviving examples. Owing to a printing error in the engraved date and the postponement of the ball until March 6 due to inclement weather, many invitations were never completed for use.
 
Condition: Excellent.