[Anonymous].
[Handbill] [1865 April 19] "We Loved Him--Living. / We Revere Him-- Dead." [for] Abraham Lincoln's funeral.
The handbill features the American flag with the words "The Union and the Constitution" among the stars, and the slogan "We Loved Him--Living./ We Revere Him--Dead" over the stripes. The self-educated son of a Kentucky frontiersman, Lincoln served as a Captain in the Black Hawk War, worked as a lawyer, and served as a Representative from Illinois (1847-1849); the national reputation he won in debates with Stephen Douglas for the Senate seat in 1858 (which Douglas won) led to his election as the 16th President of the United States in 1860. He led the Union through the Civil War, giving the Gettysburg Address and signing the Emancipation Proclamation (1863) freeing the slaves; he was reelected in 1864 and assassinated in 1865 at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.
[Aunt of Mary Custis Lee].
[Letter] 1832 August 14 [to] Dearest Niece [Mrs. M.C. Lee] / [Aunt of Mary Custis Lee].
Lee's "Dear Old Aunt" writes to her on two topics: health and fashion. The Aunt urges Mary Ann to write to her mother, and discusses her health; she tells Mary about a bonnet with a border that's too full, and relates that she has just washed two frocks for her, alluding to two other women who are currently expecting, and at different stages of their confinement. The Aunt discusses cholera and its presence in New York, but not in Boston, and not to a great extent in Washington. She affirms that had she not had to look after Ned, it would be "my duty to go to you as well as my pleasure." She urges Mary Ann to stay healthy, avoid crabs and melons, not to bathe too much, and not to exert herself. She hopes and prays that "the father of all have you & Bob in his especial keeping." In the letter she also mentions her plans to go to Bath and take the waters, as well as her hope that Bob could get a furlough "to be with you." She also mentions Arlington, the estate of Mary Ann's father, George Washington Parke Custis, the grandson of Martha Washington. Mary Ann married Robert E. Lee in 1831 and accompanied him to his station: Old Point Comfort, Virginia where she received this letter. At the time she received this letter, she had probably just given birth or was going to give birth soon to her first son George Washington Custis Lee. She would go on to have seven children, to stand by her husband during his command of the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and ultimately to lose her home, Arlington, to the federal government for non-payment of taxes during the war; it became a federal cemetery.
Cooper, James Fenimore, 1789-1851.
[Letter] 1850 January 5, Ostego Hall, Cooperstown [to] Miss Jewett, Boston / J[ames]. Fenimore Cooper.
Cooper complies with Jewett's request [presumably for an autograph] and states that he wishes it were worth her trouble to receive this boon. He also reveals that at Paris he knew a Princess of [Salm-Dyle?] who claimed that she invented autograph albums. Stating that he has offered his signature in many such volumes, Cooper notes that his female correspondents for this purpose have been as numerous "as I dare say, handsome and agreeable-- though I am obliged to take these qualities on credit." Cooper, the 11th of 12 children born to the man who founded Cooperstown and built Ostego Hall, is remembered for his books of sailing and wilderness adventure, including the Leatherstocking Series featuring Natty Bumppo, the most well-known of which is Last of the Mohicans (1826). In addition to enjoying the life of a country gentleman in New York, Cooper also traveled and wrote extensively in Europe.
Coppée, Henry, 1821-1895; Coppée, Edward; Coppée, Eliza; Thurston, J.W.
[Letter] 1829 December 16, Savannah [to] Alethea Coppée, Boston, Massachusetts / Henry Coppée.
Coppée writes to his sister to relate the family news of studies and illness and plans for visiting, asking her to convey Christmas messages on his behalf, and stating that he is glad to hear she's happy. On the verso, their father Edward Coppée states that this was Henry's first letter, and urges Alethea to strive to "get understanding." Henry and Alethea's sister Eliza takes up the pen next and expresses how welcome it would be to see her sister again; as far as her own studies go, she has not improved much, and she lists her coursework, and rejoices that their parents have been spared to them as a local girl, Evelina, has been recently orphaned. She also sends greetings from Old Mama who has a sprightly seven-month old baby named Ann. Prior to assuming the duties as the first President of Lehigh from 1866 to 1875, Coppée worked on the railroad, fought in the Army during the Mexican War, and taught at West Point and the University of Pennsylvania. During his term in office, many buildings including the President's house, Packer Hall, and the University Center were constructed; Coppée also delivered lectures on history, logic, rhetoric, political economy and Shakespeare.
Faraday, Michael, 1791-1867.
[Letter] 18[47?] March 22, Royal Institution [to] Dr. Henry / M[ichael]. Faraday.
Faraday declares that Henry must not know his rule: "I never dine out & go to [...?] parties very rarely," citing his busy schedule as well as his health as reasons, and stating that he cannot break this rule without giving "just offense" to many kind persons. He expresses regret that he must "lose the pleasure of your company." A philosopher as well as a scientist, Faraday experimented with electricity, chemistry, radiation, and physics. Sir Humphrey Davy, whose influence secured Faraday his first position as a laboratory assistant at the Royal Institution, was his mentor, and his contemporary John Tyndall (whose work, along with Davy's, is also represented in the collection) wrote Faraday's biography in 1872. Faraday became director of the laboratory in the Royal Institution in 1825 where he devised a lecture series, taught chemistry at the Royal Military Academy in Woolwich, became a fellow of the Royal Society as well as a scientific adviser to the Corporation of Trinity House, and his portrait appears on the Bank of England's twenty-pound note.
