Abraham Lincoln -- Overdue Bill
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Accession Number
S/NPG.78.180
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1862, amid the American Civil War, British illustrator John Tenniel created *Abraham Lincoln -- Overdue Bill*, a satirical print that captures the era's transatlantic fascination with the U.S. president. Tenniel, renowned for his political cartoons in *P* magazine and later his iconic illustrations for Lewis Carroll's *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland*, used this woodcut-style print to comment on Lincoln's leadership. The title cleverly puns on "bill" as both legislation and debt, reflecting debates over wartime policies like emancipation or fiscal measures. The portrait depicts Lincoln wi...