Excessively rare official Executive Mansion card, 4 x 2.75, neatly signed in ink as president, "James A. Garfield, March 12, 1881." Annotated below in a collector's hand, "President of the U.S.A., 1881." In very good to fine condition, with toning to the edges, and old mounting residue on the reverse.
On March 12th, a Saturday afternoon eight days after Garfield's inauguration as president, First Lady Lucretia Garfield held a reception at the White House. The Washington Post reported that "Mrs. Garfield gave her first afternoon reception yesterday, which was largely attended. The visitors comprised all the prominent people in society, who were anxious to testify by their presence their welcome to the city of the wife of the President." The president would be struck down by an assassin's bullet on July 2nd, though he would not succumb to his wounds until September 19th. Because of his short time in the White House, any presidential autograph by Garfield is extremely scarce; it is virtually nonexistent in this format. This is just the second Garfield-signed White House card we have encountered in the last thirty years.
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