Historians, collectors, and fans of all things Abraham Lincoln were abuzz recently with the results of an auction of several artifacts from Lincoln’s life. The collection’s most talked-about item is a pair of leather gloves, stained with blood, that the President carried that evening. Of course, an item of that nature would garner most of the attention, but this auction was about more than just bloody gloves. It was one more chapter in a long story of provenance, profit, and protecting history.
HOW IT STARTED
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (ALPLM) partnered in 2005 with a private nonprofit foundation, The Lincoln Presidential Foundation. Initially, the foundation was a fundraising vehicle for the publicly run library and museum. In 2007, the foundation acquired a large collection of Lincoln artifacts, a pivotal moment for both organizations.
The collection of Lincolnania came via foundation member Louise Taper, a historian and lifelong collector. The collection was well-known to anyone familiar with Lincoln artifacts, and the museum was a perfect repository for sharing the items with the public and protecting and preserving them for future generations.
While the museum was grateful to have the right to curate and display the collection, it remained the property of the foundation. At the time, the price for the entire collection was $23 million, and the foundation had to take a bank loan, with the collection as collateral, to complete the purchase. That might have been the end of the story, but there would be more developments, all of which led to the recent auction of the Taper Collection.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Over the years, the foundation and the museum have worked together to enhance understanding of Lincoln’s legacy.. However, in 2012, questions arose about a hat that was part of the collection. Initially valued at $6.5 million, it was a standout at the museum and had been the headliner of the Taper Collection.
A 2012 news story talked about some issues with the history behind the hat, casting doubt that President Lincoln had owned and worn the hat. In 2019, a comprehensive study, including a series of tests, found no evidence to prove the hat’s authenticity. The questions about the hat resulted in questions about the entire collection, the museum’s integrity, and the foundation’s leadership, which only further exacerbated the tension between the museum and the foundation. Money, management, and misunderstandings became too much, and the museum ended the partnership in 2021.
MONEY MATTERS
Even with historical records and other precious pieces, money is a concern. Purchasing the Taper collection was a huge financial commitment, and when the troubles between the foundation and the museum arose, money was at the heart of many of the issues. Funding for the museum comes primarily from the state of Illinois, along with some grants and donations.
With the concerns about the collection, the foundation lost much of its support, and the debt they took on to purchase the collection was looming large. In 2019, in the wake of the provenance issues surrounding the hat, the foundation announced it had secured a three-year loan extension, which would put the due date in 2022, taking some of the pressure off the leadership on how it would handle a possible default.
Eventually, there were no more options for the foundation to pay back the approximately $9 million still owed on the loan, and in the fall of 2022, they removed 1,500 items from the ALPLM. At the time, Nick Kalm, the foundation’s vice Chairman, told WBEZ in Chicago,
We don’t have any plans at this point in terms of what we’re going to do with the artifacts. We have two key goals: One is to do all we can at the bank’s urging to pay off the remaining $8 million or so on the original debt….And No. 2, concurrently, we want to do everything we can to make sure that this collection, which has been in the public domain for 15 years, continues to be available to the public for years to come.
UNDER THE HAMMER
Eventually, the foundation auctioned off some of the Taper Collection and chose Freeman’s | Hindman to handle the sale. Other museums, collectors, and history buffs all eagerly anticipated the sale since it was the first time in decades that some materials would be available outside museum exhibits and private collections. Despite the notoriety and publicity over the troubles between the museum and the foundation, the artifacts are an essential part of the story for collectors, historians, and preservationists.
It’s not surprising that the pair of bloody gloves made headlines for their intrinsic value as a historical relic and the sale price of over $1 million, but there is so much more to the story. History buffs know that almost immediately following the shooting on April 14, 1865, and Lincoln’s subsequent death early the next morning, looters and other “relic hunters” took hundreds of items from the White House, Ford’s Theater, and the boarding house across the street where audience members and others carried the President after he was mortally wounded. Everything from bedsheets and pillows to wallpaper pieces from the Presidential box and a marble chip from the receiving vault where his body was interred at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, IL.
AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
The recent auction of Lincolnania might be just the beginning. The auction contained 144 lots, but the Taper collection originally consisted of around 1,500 items, some of which were sold to others, leaving the foundation roughly 1,400 items. With the concerns over the stovepipe hat, the financial issues, and the leadership struggles, the museum and foundation face a tough road ahead.
The sale and the backstory of the struggles faced by the two organizations exemplify the importance of preservation for auction houses, nonprofits, and museums when handling items that often serve as firsthand sources of historical events.
Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.
WorthPoint—Discover. Value. Preserve.
Credit: Source link
