?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
(ABRAHAM LINCOLN.) Ambrose E. Burnside. Endorsement letter for Marshall's famed portrait of Lincoln. Autograph Letter Signed "A.E. Burnside" as Governor of Rhode Island to the publishers Ticknor and Fields. 2 pages, 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches, on one folding sheet; separations at folds with tape repairs and light staining to second leaf. Providence, RI, 13 November 1866
William E. Marshall's 1866 engraving was perhaps the most popular depiction of the late president. The publishers sought endorsements from those close to Lincoln. Major General Ambrose Burnside, whose acquaintance with Lincoln extended before the war, was glad to oblige. In full:
"The engraving of Mr. Lincoln by Mr. Marshall has been received. I have never seen an engraving of anyone with whom I was acquainted that would compare with it. It was my happiness to have seen a great deal of Mr. Lincoln, and to me it is quite evident that the artist has caught the expression his face always wore when his mind was occupied with important affairs. As a work of art, the engraving will certainly commend itself to all skilled judges of such work."
