LINCOLN, ABRAHAM, President . Printed document signed ("Abraham Lincoln") as President, countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward, Washington, D.C., accomplished 1 MAY 1865. 1 page, folio, slight fold separation, part of right-hand portion lightly browned, large paper seal of the United States in lower right-hand portion, accomplished in manuscript. FOUR-LANGUAGE SHIP'S PAPERS SIGNED BY LINCOLN, BUT POSTHUMOUSLY DATED Papers for the whaleship Osprey of New Bedford, commanded by Peter Gartland and "...laden with Provisions, Stores, and utensils for a whaling voyage..." from New Bedford to the Atlantic Ocean. A document with text in French, Spanish, English and Dutch, such papers attempted to insure safe passage for American ships by declaring "...that no subjects of the present belligerent powers have any part or portion therein, directly nor indirectly, so may God Amighty help him..." As evidenced by the date of this document, Presidents usually signed unaccomplished ship's papers which were sent to the various ports to be filled out when required by the port collector. Very few ship's papers of this type were signed by Lincoln; we are aware of three other examples (one, also from the FORBES Magazine Collection, was sold at Christie's New York, 15 December 1995, lot 208).
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM, President . Printed document signed ("Abraham Lincoln") as President, countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward, Washington, D.C., accomplished 1 MAY 1865. 1 page, folio, slight fold separation, part of right-hand portion lightly browned, large paper seal of the United States in lower right-hand portion, accomplished in manuscript. FOUR-LANGUAGE SHIP'S PAPERS SIGNED BY LINCOLN, BUT POSTHUMOUSLY DATED Papers for the whaleship Osprey of New Bedford, commanded by Peter Gartland and "...laden with Provisions, Stores, and utensils for a whaling voyage..." from New Bedford to the Atlantic Ocean. A document with text in French, Spanish, English and Dutch, such papers attempted to insure safe passage for American ships by declaring "...that no subjects of the present belligerent powers have any part or portion therein, directly nor indirectly, so may God Amighty help him..." As evidenced by the date of this document, Presidents usually signed unaccomplished ship's papers which were sent to the various ports to be filled out when required by the port collector. Very few ship's papers of this type were signed by Lincoln; we are aware of three other examples (one, also from the FORBES Magazine Collection, was sold at Christie's New York, 15 December 1995, lot 208).
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
