This silk cravat was owned by President Abraham Lincoln. A cravat is a band of cloth worn around the neck. President Lincoln's cravat was pre-tied and fastened at the back. The bow was also intentionally sewn on crooked, since Lincoln preferred to wear it slightly off-center. This preference could be due to Lincoln's favoring an early 1850s trend in neckwear, when neckties became thinner and were tied asymmetrically with one side of the bow extended.

This ambrotype of future president Abraham Lincoln was taken by photographer William Painter Pearson on August 26, 1858. An ambrotype was a successor to the daguerrotype that was easier and cheaper to produce. This image was taken during the seven debates the future president had with Stephen Douglas in 1858, when both were running for senator. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and had served in the House of Representatives earlier in his life.

A frequent customer of Brooks Brothers, President Abraham Lincoln commissioned an embroidered coat from the American clothing brand, which he wore on the night of his second Inauguration, as well as the night of his assassination. The jacket’s long, structured silhouette resembled that of his usual frock coat, but the interior featured a message embroidered in silk twill: an eagle holding a banner in its beak along with the words, “One Country, One Destiny.” Following President Lincoln’s assassination, First Lady Mary Lincoln gifted the coat to Lincoln’s favorite doorman, Alphonse Donn. Pieces of this bloodstained coat were taken as souvenirs, causing irreparable damage to the piece. This coat was photographed in 2007 by Carol M. Highsmith. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and had earlier served in the House of Representatives.

This lithograph of President Abraham Lincoln was created by Currier & Ives Lithography Company circa 1860-1861. In late 1860, Abraham Lincoln began growing a beard, and was the first United States president to do so. After his first election, he reportedly received a letter from an eleven-year-old fan, Grace Bedell, who suggested that growing facial hair might improve his appearance. In his reply to this letter, President Lincoln wrote, “As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation if I were to begin wearing them now? Your very sincere well-wisher," A. LINCOLN."” By 1861, Lincoln’s beard appeared in portraits, paintings, and photographs, and would remain a style that he maintained for the remainder of his life. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and had earlier served in the House of Representatives.

This gelatin silver print of future president Abraham Lincoln was taken by Alexander Hesler of the Herbert George Studios of Springfield, Illinois in June 1860. It depicts Lincoln before his presidency, without his beard, wearing a suit and cravat. Lincoln’s cravat was pre-tied and fastened at the back. The bow was also intentionally sewn on crooked, since Lincoln preferred to wear it slightly off-center. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and earlier had served in the House of Representatives.

This office suit was worn by President Abraham Lincoln. It features a black broadcloth coat, vest, and trousers. The shirt and tie are reproductions of the originals President Lincoln wore. Lincoln’s office suit was used in a preliminary study for a posthumous portrait by Boston artist William Morris Hunt. In May 1865 Mary Lincoln sent Thomas Pendel, the White House doorkeeper, to deliver the suit. Pendel, being about the same size as Lincoln, posed in the clothing for the artist. Hunt kept the suit, and in 1894 his widow donated the clothing to the Smithsonian. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and had earlier served in the House of Representatives.

This top hat was made by J. Y. Davis and worn by President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 15, 1865. President Lincoln’s iconic top hat style dates back to at least the 1830s, when he was seen in New Salem, Illinois, wearing a top hat and a grey suit. While the top hats of the 1830s had a more curved line, a brief period in the 1850s saw the popularity of the stove pipe hat, a top hat with an eight-inch crown and straighter sides. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and earlier served in the House of Representatives.

This glass plate collodion negative, a type of photograph, is of President-elect Abraham Lincoln. This photograph was taken on February 24, 1861 by Alexander Gardner in the days following Lincoln’s arrival in Washington, D.C. ahead of his Inauguration. He is dressed in the outfit that would become his most recognizable look: a black frock coat, matching waistcoat and trousers, a narrow black cravat, and polished black leather shoes. His hat rests on the table next to him. Photographs of Lincoln from the 1840s and 1850s show that by this time, his signature look was well-established. Lincoln became president on March 4, 1861 and earlier served in the House of Representatives.

This purple velvet dress by Elizabeth Keckley was created for First Lady Mary Lincoln during the 1861-1862 winter social season in Washington, D.C. Keckley designed the ensemble to include a skirt and two bodices -- one for the daytime and one for the evening. The daytime bodice, seen here, features white satin piping and mother of pearl buttons. Keckley, who was born enslaved, frequently designed dresses for Mrs. Lincoln. The two developed both a business partnership during Mrs. Lincoln's time in the White House as well as a friendship during that time. To see the evening bodice, see image 1135054.

This purple velvet dress by Elizabeth Keckley was created for First Lady Mary Lincoln during the 1861-1862 winter social season in Washington, D.C. Keckley designed the ensemble to include a skirt and two bodices -- one for the daytime and one for the evening. The evening bodice, seen here, features white satin piping and black and white lace-decorated sleeves. Keckley, who was born enslaved, frequently designed dresses for Mrs. Lincoln. The two developed both a business partnership during Mrs. Lincoln's time in the White House as well as a friendship during that time. To see the daytime bodice, see image 1135052.

This satirical cartoon was submitted for copyright shortly before the presidential election of 1860. The cartoon depicts the political contest as a baseball game. Abraham Lincoln stands at home base on the right side of the image, advising his opponents, from left to right: former Senator John Bell, Senator Stephen A. Douglas, and John C. Breckinridge, who was then Vice President of the United States under President James Buchanan. The text on the men's bats and belts provides clues about their political platforms. Instead of a baseball bat, Lincoln holds a wooden rail labeled "Equal Rights and Free Territory." A skunk stands near the other candidates, signifying that they have been "skunk'd," or overwhelmingly defeated.

This engraving of President Abraham Lincoln was produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and served from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. Prior to becoming president, Lincoln served in the United States House of Representatives and practiced law in Springfield, Illinois. On January 1, 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared freedom for enslaved African Americans. He led the Union to victory over the Confederacy during the Civil War. On April 14, 1885, he became the first United States president to die by assassination when he was shot at Ford's Theater by actor John Wilkes Booth.

This is a campaign button from Abraham Lincoln's 1860 bid for president. The button reads "Abraham Lincoln/Free Soil & Free Men." He was elected and began his tenure as president in 1861. This was one of the earliest examples of a campaign button using a photograph.

This certificate is Montgomery Blair's official appointment by President Abraham Lincoln to the Cabinet position of postmaster general of the United States. Blair served until his resignation in September 1864.

This is a letter written by President Abraham Lincoln to his wife First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln on April 28, 1864. Lincoln asked his wife to their son Tad that "the goats and father are very well-especially the goats".

This is an executive order from President Abraham Lincoln requesting that Company K of the 150th Regiment of Pennsylvania volunteers remain at the White House.

This photograph of President Lincoln standing among a group of soldiers during the Civil War was taken by Alexander Gardner on October 3, 1862. The photograph was taken on the grounds on the Battle of Antietam, which took place in northwestern Maryland on September 17, 1862 and is considered the bloodiest day-long battle in American history. Standing, from left to right, are: Col. Delos B. Sacket, I.G.; Capt. George Monteith; Lt. Col. Nelson B. Sweitzer; Gen. George W. Morell; Col. Alexander S. Webb, Chief of Staff, 5th Corps.; Gen. George B. McClellan; Scout Adams; Dr. Jonathan Letterman, Army Medical Doctor; unknown soldier; President Lincoln; Gen. Henry J. Hunt; Gen. Fitz-John Porter; unknown soldier; Col. Frederick T. Locke, A.A.G.; Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys; Capt. George Armstrong Custer. The original photograph was a glass negative, wet collodion print.

This portrait photograph of a young Mary Todd Lincoln was taken between 1846-1847, around the time she and Congressman-elect Abraham Lincoln were moving to Washington, D.C. for the first time. The couple had been married for five years when Lincoln was elected to represent the 7th district of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives.

This painting of President Abraham Lincoln was created by R. D. Bayley. The painting depicts Lincoln showing abolitionist Sojourner Truth a bible gifted to him by African Americans from Baltimore, Maryland. Bayley completed the painting on October 29, 1864. The image of the painting is mounted on a cabinet card.

This photograph of President Abraham Lincoln and Tad Lincoln was taken on February 9, 1864 by photographer Anthony Berger of the Brady Studio in Washington, D.C. In this portrait photograph, President Lincoln and his youngest son look at an album of preeminent photographer Mathew Brady's photographs.

This front page edition of "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper" features a wood engraving print of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Published on May 6, 1865, the engraving shows John Wilkes Booth leaping from the Presidential Box at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. to the stage below moments after he shot the president, who is hidden by curtains surrounding the box. President and Mrs. Lincoln were attending the play "Our American Cousin".

This portrait photograph of Mary Todd Lincoln was taken between 1861 and 1865 while she served as First Lady of the United States. Mrs. Lincoln and her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, were married for over 20 years at the time of his death and had four sons together. The portrait was possibly taken by Mathew Brady at his Brady's National Photographic Portrait Galleries.

This portrait photograph of President Abraham Lincoln was taken by Alexander Gardner. Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and served from March 4, 1861 to April 15, 1865. Though Gardner is credited with taking this photograph on November 8, 1863, it was later printed and copyrighted in 1900 by M.P. Rice of Washington, D.C.

This portrait photograph of President Abraham Lincoln was taken by Alexander Gardner on August 9, 1863. The photograph is one from a series taken of President Lincoln just prior to the opening of Gardner's new gallery. Lincoln is holding his glasses in his right hand.