Author: G. & W. Endicott, Lithographer
Title: National Birth-Night Ball. Under the Special Patronage of Mrs. Polk, Mrs. Madison, Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Hamilton. The Honor of [ ] Company Is Requested at Jackson Hall, on the Evening of the 22d February, 1848
Description: S. l. s. n. 1848. Broadside; 12 1/4 x 7 1/2; illustrated with a lithographed half-portrait of George Washington at center, with the facsimile of his signature below; text in four columns; three old, horizontal fold lines with short, closed splits to edges; two small chips to right edge; a few minor spots of foxing, mostly to verso; overall in very good condition. Called one of the rarest George Washington portraits by bookseller, cataloger, auctioneer, and leading authority on Washingtoniana Stanislaus Vincent Henkels (1854 - 1926), the image graced an invitation to the National Birth-Night Ball of February 22, 1848, which was to be held under the patronage of four former- and current- First Ladies and 104 managers - representatives from various states. Due to tragic circumstances, namely former President John Quincy Adams' having a stroke on February 21 and his death two days later, the ball would be postponed until March 1, out of respect for Adams and his family. It has been said that for future President Abraham Lincoln (47th on the list of managers on the current invitation) and his wife - this appointment was likely "the first opportunity to enter the higher social life" of Washington, DC, as he had just taken his seat in the Thirtieth Congress of the United States and brought his family to the city in December of 1847. It has also been speculated that the main reason for his appointment to the event was that he was the only Whig Congressman from Illinois. This invitation was addressed to one Mrs. Wheeler in faint pencil (unidentified). One copy recorded at the American Antiquarian Society; none other in the trade. Very good .

Keywords: Washington, Ball, Broadside, Americana


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