Presidential Campaign Lantern, 1864-1868

Late-nineteenth-century political parties rallied their supporters by holding torchlight parades. In the evening, marchers lit up the street carrying torches, lamps and lanterns. Inexpensive paper lanterns glowed with the image or name of the party's candidate or other patriotic imagery. Backers of the Union would proudly carry a lantern like this at parades during and just after the Civil War.