Chromolithograph Portrait of Abraham Lincoln, 1865

Following the American Civil War, this print commemorated President Abraham Lincoln and became popular for home and classroom display across the country. This chromolithograph production method--using oil inks and canvas on a wooden stretcher--was meant to be framed, in imitation of painted portraits of famous people. Prints like this one helped people to honor Lincoln's accomplishments.

A color lithograph bust portrait of a bearded President Abraham Lincoln. E.C. Middleton & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio made this print to resemble a painting by printing it on paper with oil-based color inks, then varnishing and gluing it onto canvas. They then attached it to an oval wooden stretcher and placed it in a decorative picture frame. This ornamental piece often found a place in the home parlor for many Americans along with their framed family portraits. This print was a popular way to honor and remember President Abraham Lincoln. The Middleton company first produced this print in 1863. The portrait was so popular that they kept making the printed portraits after Lincoln's assassination. It was an accepted way to mourn his death and honor his leadership during the Civil War.