Abraham Lincoln Print

Q: My in-laws left an Abraham Lincoln picture to us, and we’re wondering what it’s worth. It’s mounted in a carved oval wooden frame. The president is on the right sitting in a chair facing left and holding an open book in his lap. Mrs. Lincoln is in a chair on the left and is facing right holding a closed book in her left hand. The Lincolns’ oldest son, Robert, is standing behind his mother’s chair. Their youngest son, Tad, is standing close to his father. A portrait of son Willie, who died in 1862, is hanging on the wall behind the president. There’s a small typed memo on the back of the picture. It says: “Eng’d by A. Robin, NY, Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1869 by G.W. Massee in the Clerks office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.” What is the picture worth, and how can I sell it? Should we reframe it?

A: What you own is a print made from an engraving. After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, the public clamored for Lincoln memorial souvenirs. Augustus Robin, a New York engraver, used a Matthew Brady photograph of Lincoln and Tad as a model to create a steel engraving of the family. The engraving was used by G.W. Massee, a Philadelphia printer, to make copies that could be sold to the public. You own one of Massee’s prints. Many were probably made, but it’s not likely that many have survived for 150 years. The frame may be original, so don’t reframe it. If you want to sell it, you can try online. It might sell for about $100.