"Lincoln Family" Oval Engraving by A. B. Walter, after Francis Schell, 1865

This antique oval engraving, "Lincoln Family," depicts President Lincoln and his family in April of 1865. The artist F. Schell painted the original work, it was engraved by A. B. Walter and John Dainty published it in 1865. The engraving is presented in an antique oval 19th century frame.  In the engraving, Abraham Lincoln sits in a chair reading a book as his youngest son, Tad, looks on. To Lincoln’s right is his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and his oldest son, Robert, stands just behind them wearing his Captain’s uniform. Depicted as a painting in the upper right corner, is Willie Lincoln, the middle of the three boys.  The print shows Lincoln’s family as it was just before his death in April 1865. As far as research shows, the Lincoln family never sat down together to have any complete family portrait done. In the months following Lincoln’s death, a mourning nation demanded images of a domestically comfortable and loving Lincoln family, and the American print industry responded with a f