The Death of Lincoln

The shooting of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865 was a horrendous shock to a nation just emerging from four horrible years of war. The news traveled quickly by telegraph, and newspapers rushed out special editions.

There was also a strong visual component to the tragedy as photographers, magazine artists, and even printmakers such as Currier & Ives showed the nation what had happened. The War Department, to aid its manhunt for Lincoln's assassin, printed wanted posters containing innovations: photographs of the famous actor John Wilkes Booth and two other conspirators.

Image: Library of Congress