(LINCOLN, ABRAHAM.) Queen, James W.; photographer. Group of 3 stereoviews of the Lincoln funeral in Philadelphia. Albumen stereo photographs, 3 x 5 3/4 inches, on plain mounts, with manuscript captions on verso along with inked stamps reading "J.W. Queen & Co., Opticians, Philad., Apr 1865, Paid"; minimal wear. Philadelphia, [22] April 1865
The Lincoln funeral train pulled into Philadelphia on 22 April 1865. With a crowd approaching half a million, the procession took hours to get from the railroad station to Independence Hall, where the coffin laid in state the following day. A line of mourners stretched for three miles, and tensions flared into spasms of violence which required the intervention of police. These photographs were taken by James W. Queen (1812-1890), an optician, who was listed in the 1870 census as retired with $103,000 in assets. His company mostly sold equipment, including stereoview projectors, but he also produced photographs. Two of these images, which we have been unable to trace elsewhere, show the coffin being moved through the thronged streets of the city. In one shot at the corner of Chestnut Street, two Civil War recruitment posters can still be seen hanging, although Lee's army had already surrendered. The final image is captioned "Independence Square, Philad'a during the obsequies of President Lincoln."
