Original limited edition 1.75 x 1.75 swatch of black horsehair upholstery, numbered 18/85, removed from the ‘Lincoln Courting Couch,’ a sofa owned by Ninian and Elizabeth Edwards, the brother-in-law and sister of Mary Todd. The sofa originates from the parlor of the Edwards home in Springfield, Illinois, which also served as the residence of Mary Todd from October 1839 until her marriage to Abraham Lincoln in November 1842. Mary and Abraham met at a dance in 1838 and, despite Ninian and Elizabeth not approving of the older suitor, they were famously allowed to meet and converse on the Empire-style, horsehair-covered sofa from which this swatch derives. The ‘Lincoln Courting Sofa’ swatch is affixed to an 11.5 x 8 presentation sheet and includes a corresponding pamphlet signed by its author, Daniel E. Pearson, and the remover of the sofa fabric, Chuck Hand. In fine condition. Accompanied by two photos of the fabric sheets removed from the ‘Courting Couch.’ Provenance: From the collection of Harold Holzer, a prominent Lincoln scholar and collector of Lincolnia. He is the author or editor of 52 books and specializes in representations of Lincoln in visual culture. Holzer was senior vice president for public affairs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 1992 to 2015 and served as co-chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission from 2000 to 2010.
