Tag: Primary Sources

The Famous Greeley Letter

THE GREELEY LETTER is a masterpiece

Of the millions of pages of history written about the Civil War, my focus lately has been a three page letter written in Lincoln’s handwriting. It is the famous letter President Lincoln wrote on August 22, 1862 to Horace Greeley, editor of the New-York Tribune. Words from this letter are etched in history:

My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or to destroy slavery.

Lincoln historian, Phillip Shaw Paludan wrote in The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln:

If there is one document that is more often quoted than any other in the argument, debate, or conversation about Lincoln — it is the letter that Lincoln wrote on August 22, 1862 to Horace Greeley.  

President Lincoln seated on left, Horace Greeley on right, words read; On Friday, August 22nd, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln wrote his famous letter to NY Tribune editor, Horace Greeley

It was on Friday, August 22nd, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln finished writing his now famous letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New-York Tribune.

President Lincoln headshot left, James C. Welling headshot right, printed are words: THE GREELEY LETTER Friday, August 22nd, 1862 President President Lincoln never sent his letter to Horace Greeley, at N-Y Tribune. Instead, Lincoln chose to deliver the letter to rival newspaper, National Intelligencer editor, James C. Welling

President Lincoln decided not to send the letter to Greeley. Instead, he had the letter delivered to James C. Welling, editor of the National Intelligencer, a rival newspaper to publish the following day.

Looking at the original letter, you see that one sentence has a line through it, as though Lincoln changed his mind and crossed the words out.

The original second page of Aug 22,1862 letter from Lincoln to Greeley noting the revision of sentence omitted in Aug 23, 1862 National Intelligencer published version .
The Greeley Letter, page 2 of 3, revision approved by Lincoln, requested by James C. Welling, editor, National Intelligencer
John Nicolay recalled James C. Welling asked Lincoln to revise the Greeley letter

President Lincoln’s secretary, John Nicolay shared the backstory about this revision in Princeton College Bulletin, 1895:

On August 22, 1862, the associate editor of the National Intelligencer, James Clarke Welling did what few young editors would have ventured upon. 

He wanted to make a change to Lincoln’s text so he immediately carried the manuscript back to the President and suggested its omission. President Lincoln good-naturedly complied.

Headshop of James C. Welling on left, on right is LOC August 23, 1862 clipping from National Intelligencer titled; A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT; editor James C. Welling published and revised text of Lincoln's letter to NY Tribune editor, Horace Greeley Below is the original handwritten letter by Lincoln, Aug 22, 1862, yet revised and published by James C. Welling. The Greeley Letter a masterpiece.
The original letter written by Lincoln, yet revised and published by Welling is a masterpiece.

On Saturday August 23, 1862, Horace Greeley read the famous Greeley Letter, a reply to his editorial, Prayer of Twenty Millions, in a letter addressed to him from President Lincoln within the pages of another newspaper, the National Intelligencer.

The Greeley Letter, I believe, is a masterpiece – an American history treasure. It is inspiring beyond words, three quintessential pages of history.

I’m not alone. My great grandfather, James C. Welling, to whom Lincoln gave the letter, certainly believed it was an American treasure. He kept the Greeley letter his entire life.

President Lincoln and James Clarke Welling headshots and below is Lincoln's 3 page letter given to and published by Welling, his great granddaughter, Caroline Welling Van Deusen has made archival prints
Lincoln and James C. Welling above Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley given to Welling.

And after his death our family fulfilled his wishes to find a permanent home for the famous Greeley Letter. We chose not to sell it to a private collector but place the masterpiece where the greatest number of people would see it, and accessible to the public, in perpetuity. What better place for the Greeley Letter, our masterpiece, than the oldest public art museum in the country, the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Knowing the Greeley Letter is safely preserved, within a safe, in a vault at the Wadsworth Athenaeum, I continue with our family’s wish—- that the greatest number of people could see the masterpiece, so that’s why I began an initiative during the Covid pandemic to create Archival Prints of the famous Greeley Letter.

Today, I am proud to announce my 2021 launch of my website: TheGreeleyLetter.com and a limited series of archival prints for sale. I personally printed, packaged and will ship Greeley Letter prints to you.

THE GREELEY LETTER

Archival prints of President Lincoln’s original 3-page letter to Horace Greeley written on August 22, 1862.

The Greeley Letter, is a masterpiece – an American history treasure. It is inspiring beyond words, three quintessential pages of history.
Abe and me. He wrote the Greeley Letter, August 22, 1862, gave it to my great-grandfather to publish. Today in 2021, I reproduced my great grandfather’s editor copy albumen silver prints of the letter.

THE GREELEY LETTER archival prints beautifully presented within an elegant linen bound tri-folio and embossed cover with words from the letter “I would save the Union” followed by Lincoln’s famous signature.

Archival Prints of the Greeley Letter

Special thanks for the efforts of talented graphic designers, Rumora Studios and team Portfolio Box, Warren, RI for design and production, and for the love, support and encouragement from my family and brother, James C. Welling (yes, another one). A list of print specs and packaging materials are included with each Greeley Letter archival print.

The Greeley Letter, is a masterpiece – an American history treasure. It is inspiring beyond words, three quintessential pages of history.

To order go to: http://thegreeleyletter.com

Lost Heirlooms

Discovered in Museums

Dixon-Welling home at 159 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT with Elsa Welling reading
Dixon-Welling home at 159 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT with Josephine Toy and Elsa Welling

In the center of the photos above is a beautiful and extremely rare japanned high chest.

The high chest shown in the images above is currently on exhibit in the American galleries exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

In an old 2002 antiques article I discovered the whereabouts of my aunt’s high chest she reluctantly sold in the 1970’s. Along with the whereabouts of the high chest, I gained a new appreciation for piece’s craftsmanship and aesthetic value.

In 1976 Zeke Liverant, an antique dealer from Colchester, CT purchased the high chest for Albert Sack and the Kaufman’s, renown collectors and philanthropists. In 1980’s, the high chest was part of an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. In 1991 Israel Sack, Inc bought it back for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where it is today.

The high chest had been a treasured family heirloom for more than 250 years being passed down over the generations from our New England ancestors. Collectors and museums value our high chest because it is the only known example of Boston japanned furniture by John Scottow, who had been a neighbor of the Abbott and Cogswell families of Boston.

Up until 1970’s family papers or items with historical significance were never sold to private collectors. They were always donated to the Connecticut Historical Society. our gr-gr grandfather began the legacy in 1842 as a life member of the Connecticut Historical Society at the Wadsworth Atheneum.

Rest easy dear aunt, the high chest you so treasured now has a notable home, not in our family parlor but accessible to museum visitors and furniture historians of the future — your high chest now resides as the anchor for American collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.