Rare signed copy of Emancipation Proclamation put on display at Smithsonian
A rare signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation has been lent to the National Museum of American History by Washington financier David M. Rubenstein.
The print, one of 48 signed by President Abraham Lincoln, was purchased by Rubenstein a few months ago in a private sale. The museum is displaying the Rubenstein copy in a permanent exhibition called "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden."
Lincoln artifacts are coveted commodities right now as the country's museums, archives and historical places gear up for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth next month.
Issued on Jan. 1, 1863, the executive order freed slaves in Confederate states, though many slaves didn't find out about this momentous event for months. Lincoln, along with William Seward, the secretary of state, and John Nicolay, Lincoln's private secretary, signed the copies in 1864. The sales went to support sick and wounded Union soldiers and to improve military camps.
To celebrate Lincoln's life, the history museum is opening two special shows on Friday. One is a collection of 10 documents from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Ill. The items include a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation that is one of 12 original souvenir copies that weren't signed.
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The print, one of 48 signed by President Abraham Lincoln, was purchased by Rubenstein a few months ago in a private sale. The museum is displaying the Rubenstein copy in a permanent exhibition called "The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden."
Lincoln artifacts are coveted commodities right now as the country's museums, archives and historical places gear up for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth next month.
Issued on Jan. 1, 1863, the executive order freed slaves in Confederate states, though many slaves didn't find out about this momentous event for months. Lincoln, along with William Seward, the secretary of state, and John Nicolay, Lincoln's private secretary, signed the copies in 1864. The sales went to support sick and wounded Union soldiers and to improve military camps.
To celebrate Lincoln's life, the history museum is opening two special shows on Friday. One is a collection of 10 documents from the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Ill. The items include a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation that is one of 12 original souvenir copies that weren't signed.