{"product_id":"columbias-noblest-sons-lithograph-by-henry-and-william-voight-1865","title":"\"Columbia's Noblest Sons\" Lithograph by Henry and William Voight, 1865","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePresented is an original memorial lithograph entitled \"Columbia’s Noblest Sons,\" published in New York in 1865 by Henry and William Voight, printed by Kummel \u0026amp; Forster, and sold by Manson Lang. Issued in the immediate aftermath of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the print presents Washington as the founder of the Union and Lincoln as its preserver. The composition centers on Columbia, personified as a classical figure wearing a Phrygian cap, who crowns both Presidents with laurel wreaths. Their portraits are surrounded by scenes, documents, and symbols associated with the Revolution and Civil War, creating a visual parallel between the two defining crises of the American republic.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo Washington’s side are vignettes depicting the Boston Tea Party, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. These scenes are mirrored on Lincoln’s side by the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the encounter between the Monitor and Merrimac, and Lincoln’s arrival in Richmond on April 6, 1865. Beneath Washington appears the Declaration of Independence, while beneath Lincoln is the Emancipation Proclamation. At the center, Liberty is shown triumphing over tyranny and rebellion, while broken shackles represent the destruction of slavery. An American eagle rises behind her, the British lion lies beneath her foot, and the abandoned implements of war are scattered across the foreground. The image of Lincoln is based on the celebrated photograph taken by Anthony Berger at Mathew Brady’s Washington gallery on February 9, 1864, a portrait that was subsequently adapted for the $5 bill. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe pairing of Washington and Lincoln was particularly significant in the months following Lincoln’s assassination. Washington had long occupied the position of the nation’s preeminent civic hero, famously described as “first in the hearts of his countrymen.” In \"Columbia’s Noblest Sons,\" Lincoln is deliberately elevated to the same symbolic plane. The visual correspondence between the two Presidents suggests a continuity of national purpose: Washington established the republic through the Revolution, while Lincoln preserved the Union through the Civil War and associated its survival with the destruction of slavery.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA surviving circular prospectus issued by Manson Lang provides an unusually detailed contemporary description of the print and illustrates how it was presented to the public in 1865. It declares that the work was “executed in the highest style of the Art,” and describes the composition as being “in perfect harmony with the enthusiastic spirit of the times” and reflective of the “zeal and patriotic devotion of the hour.” The prospectus gives the print its full interpretive framework, calling Washington “the Father of his Country” and Lincoln “its Savior.” It explains that, “In the centre of the piece is the ‘Goddess of Liberty,’ crushing to earth the monster of tyranny and rebellion,” with Washington at her right and Lincoln at her left, while she places upon each “the Nation’s fadeless crown of immortal honor.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe prospectus concludes by describing the work as “one of the most complete and beautiful works of Art ever presented for the admiration of the American people.” Measuring approximately 19 by 24 inches, it was among the larger popular memorial engravings issued in the aftermath of Lincoln’s death. It was originally offered for one dollar, a price the prospectus emphasized placed the memorial “within the reach of all.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Columbia’s Noblest Sons\" records the rapid elevation of Lincoln into the pantheon of American civic heroes and the contemporary effort to interpret his presidency through the established national symbolism of George Washington. Memorial prints of both Washington and Lincoln, like the one seen here, \"provided the strongest evidence yet that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln had emerged from the crisis as peerless, unique symbols of a country made and remade in the crucible of war\" (Holzer, 1994). \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCONDITION: \u003cbr\u003eVery good+ condition. Tinted lithograph. Small tears, chipping, and toning in the margins, not affecting image. Else very clean and bright. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArchivally framed in a custom-built wooden frame with UV glass and \u003c\/span\u003eacid-free mats. Framed Dimensions: \u003cspan\u003e26\" H x 30\" W x 1 1\/2\" D.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAccompanied by our company's letter of authenticity. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eREFERENCES: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eHolzer, Harold. “Columbia’s Noblest Sons: Washington and Lincoln in Popular Prints.” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association 15, no. 1 (1994): 23–69.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003eManson Lang. “Columbia’s Noblest Sons”: Printed Circular Seeking Agents to Sell Patriotic Print Celebrating Union Victory. New York, 1866.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Great Republic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67601127342309,"sku":"PR608","price":2500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0285\/3070\/files\/Untitleddesign_5_2f0fac1e-3d27-4342-babf-4086b832f220.jpg?v=1790959974","url":"https:\/\/www.great-republic.com\/products\/columbias-noblest-sons-lithograph-by-henry-and-william-voight-1865","provider":"The Great Republic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}