Lincoln memorabilia display marks birthday

4:39 p.m., Feb. 11, 2005--In commemoration of the birth of Abraham Lincoln on Feb. 12, 1809, a selection of original manuscripts and documents from the University of Delaware’s Lincoln Collection is on display in the Morris Library.

The new display consists of items from the Lincoln Collection of the Lincoln Club of Delaware in the Lincoln Exhibit Case in the library. The collection includes copies of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment, signed by Abraham Lincoln, and a set of original Currier & Ives prints depicting Lincoln’s fatal shooting at Ford’s Theatre, death and funeral.

“The display offers a chance to see historic documents, many of which have never been seen before,” Timothy Murray, head of special collections, said. “It’s an opportunity to see original source material of our collection. We get visitors from all over the world, the UD community and throughout the state of Delaware.”

The exhibition, which opened Feb. 8 and will remain on view in the Special Collections display case through Dec. 16, can be viewed during regular library hours, Murray said.

The collection also includes busts and photographs of Lincoln (1809-65), including the president with his cabinet and his family, plus portraits; books about Lincoln in Japanese, German, Spanish and Braille; books owned by Lincoln; books of cartoons of the period (some not favorable to the president); a book about Lincoln illustrated by famed local artist Frank Schoonover; funeral orations; and a book of condolences from other countries after his death.

Founded in Wilmington in 1929, the Lincoln Club of Delaware acquired a large and priceless collection of Lincoln material in 1938 from founding member and Wilmington attorney, Frank G. Tallman. First displayed at the Wilmington Institute Free Library, the collection grew and was presented to the University in 1941 and housed in three rooms with period furnishings at the University’s Goodstay Center on the Wilmington campus. Much of the collection has now been moved to the Special Collections Department in the Morris Library.

Another exhibition, "A Manuscript Sampler: Highlights from the University of Delaware Library Manuscript Collections," opens Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Special Collections Exhibition Gallery.

The exhibition, which runs through June 17, will feature a wide variety of authors and historic figures and will coincide with the annual meeting of the Manuscript Society in Wilmington, from May 25-28, Murray said.

The Manuscript Society is an international organization of individuals and institutions devoted to the collection, preservation, use and enjoyment of autographs and manuscripts. Founded in 1948 as the National Society of Autograph Collectors, the society has since grown to an international membership of more than 1,800, including dealers, private collectors, scholars, authors and caretakers of public collections, such as librarians, archivists and curators.

For more information contact the office of the director, University of Delaware Library, (302) 831-2231.

Article by Martin Mbugua

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