Partly-printed DS as president, one page, 17.5 x 14, December 10, 1862. President Lincoln appoints Charles T. Van der Espt as “Vice Consul of Belgium, at Louisville, Kentucky.” Signed at the conclusion by President Lincoln and countersigned by Secretary of State William H. Seward. Handsomely cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 26 x 22. Intersecting folds (one vertical fold passing through a single letter of the signature), separations along folds repaired with toned tape to reverse, and show-through from docketing to reverse, otherwise very good condition. Oversized.
Although remembered as the 'War Between the States,' European nations held positions of considerable influence in the Civil War. Both the North and South purchased arms from Belgium which proved notoriously unreliable—they suffered from poor quality control and were loathed by soldiers for their forceful recoil. Committed to the idea of 'cotton is king,' the Confederate government recognized international trade as a key to their success and believed that the industrial nations of Europe would not tolerate the weakening of the cotton culture or interference in North American commerce. The Confederacy also targeted Europe via diplomatic means in attempts garner support and earn recognition as a sovereign state to further their legitimacy. President Lincoln combated these efforts with diplomacy of his own, as seen in this document—although the Union held Kentucky and the Confederate Army had withdrawn from the state a few months earlier, it was still a bastion of Southern thought and culture. An unusual foreign relations document from a time marked by domestic distress. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA.
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