Actual Hairs of Abraham Lincoln and William H. Seward - Relic

On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices carried out their scheme to undermine the United States Government by orchestrating Booth's assassination of President Lincoln at Ford's Theater, while Lewis Powell assaulted Secretary of State William Seward at his residence. Lincoln succumbed to his injuries the following day, whereas Seward managed to survive the attack. The strands of hair belonging to Abraham Lincoln (left) and William Seward (right) were gathered by Mrs. Caroline Wright, the spouse of Indiana Governor Joseph Wright. The Wrights shared a close friendship with the Lincolns, and Mrs. Wright had requested these hair samples for her personal collection.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated by the renowned stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while he was attending the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Lincoln was shot in the head during the performance and succumbed to his injuries the following morning at 7:22 am in the Petersen House, located across from the theater. He was the first U.S. president to be assassinated, and his funeral and burial initiated a prolonged period of national mourning.

The assassination occurred towards the conclusion of the American Civil War and was part of a broader conspiracy orchestrated by Booth to rejuvenate the Confederate cause by eliminating the three most significant officials in the U.S. government. Conspirators Lewis Powell and David Herold were designated to assassinate Secretary of State William H. Seward, while George Atzerodt was assigned to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson. The plot ultimately failed beyond Lincoln's assassination: Seward sustained only injuries, and Johnson's assailant lost his resolve. Following a dramatic escape, Booth was killed after a 12-day manhunt. Powell, Herold, Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt were subsequently executed for their involvement in the conspiracy.