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Commemorative Cachet: Centennial of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
Commemorative Cachet: Centennial of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Commemorative Cachet: Centennial of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Artifact IDMO 63.4587
Object Type Stamp, Address
Date 1963
Place MadeGettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States, North America
Medium paper, ink
DimensionsOverall H 3 3/4 in x W 6 1/2 in (9.5 cm x 16.5 cm)
Physical DescriptionCommemorative Cachet: Centennial of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address; 5-cent Emancipation Proclamation Centennial U.S. Postage Stamp, postmarked "Nov. 19, 1963, Gettysburg, PA", typewritten address to "President Kennedy", the Gettysburg Address is printed on the envelope in blue ink over an image of Lincoln in brown ink.
Historical NotePresident Kennedy’s public stand on school desegregation linked him in the minds of many to the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. Of the Lincoln-themed gifts he received from the public, this humble postcard seems the most ordinary. But the sender’s choice of postcard and stamp makes pointed connections between two presidents whose speeches were among the most memorable in the history of the office; and who both faced crises of racial injustice during their administrations. The postmark is dated 2 days before JFK’s assassination, a Lincoln connection that the sender could not have predicted.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteItem was a gift from a member of the general public to the President and Mrs. Kennedy received by the Executive Office of the President betwen 1961-1963 and held by the General Service Administration until it was donated to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum by the Estate of President John F. Kennedy in 1965.
Credit LineJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA; Gift of the Estate of President John F. Kennedy
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts from Public (National Archives Identifier 1676966)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedUse Restriction NoteReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view