Abraham Lincoln

The cracked-plate portrait of Abraham Lincoln by Alexander Gardner, 1865, albumen silver print

A Smithsonian Historian Wanders the “Bardo,” Exploring the Spiritual World of the 19th Century

George Saunders’ new novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo” recalls the melancholy that hung over a nation at war

Abraham Lincoln Rocks in Tijuana

Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico

As a young Congressman and later as the nation’s leader, the first Republican president proved to be a true friend to America’s neighbor to the south

Joshua Speed found his BFF in Abraham Lincoln.

The True Friendship That Saved Abraham Lincoln's Life

Before he was president, Lincoln's lasting relationship with Joshua Speed brought him out of the doldrums of despair

Abraham Lincoln photographed shortly after the presidential election in November 1860, by Alex Hesler of Chicago, at Lincoln's home in Springfield, Illinois.

When Lincoln Was More a Politician Than an "Honest Abe"

He resorted to a dirty trick to embarrass a rival

People Have Spent Years Trying to Diagnose Mary Todd Lincoln From Beyond the Grave

Abraham Lincoln's wife has been called a "wildcat," "menstrual" and "bipolar" among other things

A close-up of Abraham Lincoln's signature on the Emancipation Proclamation.

Dozens of Rare Documents From American History Just Sold at Auction

Original copies of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation just sold for millions

Campaign collections include boxes of Macaroni and Cheese for both parties.

What Ten Artifacts from the Smithsonian Collections Can Tell Us About the Crazy History of American Politics

A massive collection of campaign materials dating from 1789 reveals that little has changed in how America shows its affection for their candidate

This man needs a makeover.

The Lincoln Memorial Is Getting a Makeover

The four-year restoration will cost a pretty penny

Home of a Rebel Sharpshooter by Alexander Gardner

Can the Civil War Still Inspire Today's Poets?

As epic verse about the American past falls victim to modernism, a poet who is also a historian calls for a revival

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln in 1861 shows how the man would not have been amused by this theft.

A Sculpture of Abraham Lincoln’s Hand Has Been Stolen From an Illinois Museum

The 150-year-old plaster art piece went missing sometime before December 11

The Only Eyewitness Painting of Lincoln's Assassination Is Finally Being Restored

How a forgotten portrait of the president's dying hours was saved

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Discussion

Letters from our readers

Vacant casemates became open-air cells for more than 500 inmates serving time for desertion, mutiny, murder and other offenses.

How Samuel Mudd Went From Lincoln Conspirator to Medical Savior

Banished to an island prison in the Gulf of Mexico, the doctor who set Booth’s broken leg saved dozens of lives in a yellow fever outbreak

Tour the Theater Where Lincoln Was Assassinated on Google Street View

150 years later, a new view of Ford’s Theatre

The top hat, with a silk mourning band for his son Willie, was worn last to Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865.

A Host of Relics from Lincoln's Last Days All Came to Reside at the Smithsonian

The Lincoln collection at the American History Museum marks the horrific tragedy and the poignancies of a nation in mourning

"One more stain on the old banner," Booth yelled, conjuring the Confederate flag as he prepared to face his pursuers

The Final Hours of John Wilkes Booth

"I have too great a soul to die like a criminal," Booth once wrote

Currier and Ives illustration of Lincoln assassination

The Night Abraham Lincoln Was Assassinated

What happened on that fateful Good Friday evening

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The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

A look back at the fateful night 150 years ago that changed American history forever

The carriage that transported President Abraham Lincoln, Mary Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone and his fiancée Clara Harris to Ford's Theatre is on view at the American History Museum through May 25, 2015.

This is the Carriage That Took Lincoln on his Fateful Trip to Ford's Theatre

As the April anniversary of Lincoln's last ride approaches, an historian recounts the president's other horse and buggie moments

The Underappreciated and Forgotten Sites of the Civil War

To commemorate the end of the war 150 years ago, here are fascinating locales that remind us of the conflict's sprawling impact

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