The Death-Bed of the Martyr President, Abraham Lincoln
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Dr. Fred W. Hicks, III
Accession Number
NPG.89.219
Tags
MerchantBoat builderLawyerAbraham Lincoln: MaleSoldierPostmasterPresident of USIllinoisSurveyorIllinois
About this artwork
This deathbed scene shows Abraham Lincoln inside the house of William Petersen, where he was carried after being shot in Fordâs Theatre, just across the street. The bedroom was small and would not have been capable of accommodating all of the visitors shown here. Rather, family members, doctors, and government officials trickled in and out as Lincoln lay unconscious. The president died at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865.