(PRESIDENTS 1860 CAMPAIGN) Eagle torch thought to be the mo

Sale 2533 - Lot 189

Unsold

Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000

(PRESIDENTS--1860 CAMPAIGN?) Eagle torch, thought to be the model used by Lincoln's Wide Awakes. Brass, 10 inches head to tail and 9 inches from wingtip to wingtip, with two detachable wick holders 2 1/4 inches in length holding period wicks, mounted under each wing on a possibly later 8-inch bracket with a pole mount (pole not present); 1/2-inch repair on eagle's breast, mounting eye screws possibly repaired, only minor wear to finish. Np, circa 1860

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"Unusually refined in design, this eagle torch, painted bronze, is identical to one which is claimed to have been used in the campaign of 1860 and is now in the collection of the Detroit Historical Society. Another is in the J. Doyle DeWitt Collection and is identified as an 'Eagle torchiere carried by the Roman Legion in Harrison's inaugural parade' in 1841"--Herbert R. Collins, "Political Campaign Torches," in Contributions from the Museum of History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution, 1966, page 21 (figure 8).