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About the Illinois State
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About the Lincoln Curator
Interactive Timeline of
Lincoln's Life
Papers of Abraham Lincoln:
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Lincoln Collection
APPOINTMENTS ARE REQUIRED for using the Lincoln Collection.
Hours: Monday-Friday: 9:00 am — 5:00 pm
The Lincoln Curator and department staff administer the ALPLM's Lincoln Collection—the world's largest holding of the papers and possessions of Abraham Lincoln and his family.
The collection began in the 1890s as part of the Illinois State Historical Library, and new items are added all the time. The three largest sources have been 1) Henry Horner, Governor of Illinois (1933-1940), a zealous Lincoln collector whose first law partner, Frank A. Whitney, was the son of Lincoln friend Henry Clay Whitney. Horner amassed one of the nation's great Lincoln collections and donated it shortly before his death in office in 1940; 2) the Lincoln family, through a number of bequests of papers, books, and items from their homes since the 1920s; and 3) Louise and Barry Taper, who since 2004 have donated or sold most of Mrs. Taper's unparalleled private collection of Lincolniana and assassination-related materials.
Preserved in the Lincoln Collection are:
- Almost 1,600 original letters and manuscripts written or signed by Lincoln;
- More than 280 historical artifacts associated with the sixteenth president and his family that are rotated in exhibition at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, including such items as Lincoln's beaver-fur stovepipe hat; the Edward Everett holograph of the Gettysburg Address (one of the five existent copies of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own hand); the Leland-Boker printing of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by the president; the House of Representatives resolution for the 13th Amendment to end slavery, also signed by Lincoln; his traveling shaving mirror; two dozen of his law books; Tad Lincoln's toy cannon, the skirt to Mary Lincoln's wedding dress; Mary's blood-stained fan from Ford's Theatre; and many more priceless items of historical import;
- Approximately 320 pieces of Mary Lincoln's correspondence by far the largest anywhere.
- The entire 20,000 pages of the letterpress books of Robert Lincoln; as well as hundreds of letters by his wife, children, and grandchildren;
- Over 3,000 Lincoln-related prints and photographs;
- Over 1,000 broadsides, from the 1830s to the 2010s;
- Over 12,000 books and pamphlets;
- Over 2,000 items of Lincoln fine art, ephemera, and popular art and crafts that reflect evolving notions of Lincoln and his legacy in the collective memory of the American people and the people of the world.
Lincoln Collection material is not available on inter-library loan. But many of the Collection's items are accessible through Illinois Legacy Online. Creating digitized databases from the collection and producing collection bibliographies and research guides are ongoing projects of the Lincoln Collection staff.
Use and Reproduction of Lincoln Collection Materials:
- For personal research and study: Reproductions of material from the Lincoln Collection may be made only for use in the research, teaching, or private study of the recipient. Reproductions may not be made or donated to other repositories by the recipient. They also may not be further reproduced without permission.
- For publication or broadcast: Conditions and fee schedules are listed in the Library's Permission to Use Agreement .
State regulations prohibit staff members of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum from appraising historical artifacts, documents, signatures, or other items. A list of appraisers/collectors is provided for informational purposes only and is not an endorsement of the individuals or businesses listed.
Questions about making donations of historical items to the Lincoln Collection should be referred to:
Gary Stockton, Acquisitions Chief
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Musuem
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701
(217) 524-5939
Lincoln Collection Contact Information:
James Cornelius, Lincoln Curator
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701
Phone: (217) 785-7954
Fax: (217) 558-1574
Lincoln Research Related Links:
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