Previous image preload Next image preload
Back to catalog
Lot 1316
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8 image_9 image_10 image_11
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S EYEGLASSES
ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S EYEGLASSES
image_0 image_1 image_2 image_3 image_4 image_5 image_6 image_7 image_8 image_9 image_10 image_11
Description:

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S EYEGLASSES
An extraordinary discovery, a pair of Abraham Lincoln's eyeglasses used by him during his presidency. Thoroughly researched, they remained within the Lincoln family until 2009 and are being sold with exceptional provenance. The steel spectacles measure 4.5 in. across the front of the frame, with arms 5.25 in. long, both terminating in small loops. The bridge forms an 'X', welded to the oval loops containing the lenses, which are undamaged. The steel bears some surface oxidation, barely distracting, and the right arm is a bit more bowed than the left. According to extensive research, the glasses were first discovered by Mary Harlan Lincoln (1846-1937), wife of Lincoln's son Robert Todd Lincoln, while sorting through items from First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's estate which were stored at their summer residence in Mount Pleasant, and later shipped to Hildene, the Lincoln family home in Manchester, Vermont. They remained in a trunk at Hildene until 1977. Earlier, in 1975 and following the death of Robert Todd and Mary Harlan Lincoln's granddaughter, Mary Lincoln (Peggy) Beckwith (1898-1975), the trunk was discovered by Peggy's brother, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith (1904-1985). According to his signed 'Affidavit and Deed of Gift' dated August 16, 1977 (copy included), Beckwith, who was childless and the last direct descendant of the late president, gifted the eyeglasses to his third wife, Margaret Fristoe Beckwith (1921-2009). He notes in his affidavit that he had recently found the trunk and discovered therein 'two pair of eyeglasses which had belonged to my great grandfather President Abraham Lincoln, and so marked by my grandmother Mary Harlan Lincoln. I further give one pair of these eyeglasses to Margaret Fristoe...and one pair to James T. Hickey of Elkhart, Illinois...' (the Hickey eyeglasses currently reside at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Foundation and are being curated at the Lincoln Home NHS Visitors Center in Springfield, Illinois.) Margaret, who also inherited Beckwith's Virginia estate and was herself a volunteer at Hildene, kept these eyeglasses until her death in 2009 when they were passed to her daughter, Lenora Fristoe Hoverson. In 2010 Hoverson consigned a number of items from Beckwith's estate to Cowan's Auction, to be offered in the sale 'The Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith Collection'. Her affidavit for the sale (copy included) mentioned ownership of the contents of the sale by Mary Todd Lincoln and Mary Harlan Lincoln, as well as descent within the Lincoln family. Lot 283 in Cowan's auction offered two pairs of 'Eyeglasses from the Lincoln Family'. In the photograph for the lot, the eyeglasses we offer are shown, as well as a much more modern pair with wrap-around temple ends. However, Cowan's made a critical error in their description. When they had the lenses examined, Cowan's claimed that Lincoln's eyesight would have been over-corrected had he worn these glasses. That proved to be an error of epic proportion, as explained below. When Lincoln was shot, two pairs of eyeglasses were found in his pockets with prescriptions of +2.0 and +1.62 diopters. The glasses offered in the Cowan's sale were measured prior to the sale at +2.75 and +3.75 diopters, leading Cowan's to believe they could not have belonged to Lincoln. Both pairs were re-measured in 2010 and determined to be +2.12 and +3.50, the latter being the prescription for the pair offered here. In 2013, a California autograph auction house sold the +2.12 pair with curled temples as being Lincoln's. However, optical eyewear historians Alan McBrayer and Thomas F. Valenza argue in a 2012 article that the frame style of the auctioned pair simply did not exist until the 1880s. In all likelihood, these eyeglasses belonged to Robert Todd Lincoln and were commingled by Cowan's with other material from the Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith estate. Additionally, the style and prescription of this pair closely match those worn by Robert Todd Lincoln. When examining the pair of glasses offered here, McBrayer and Valenza's article confirms the pre-1865 age of our x-bridge glasses: the arms terminate in small loops, screws hold together the two halves of the frame joint, and temples are attached using a separate pin. Cowan's also erred in assuming that Lincoln did not wear stronger reading eyeglasses. This is evidenced by the fact that in addition to the pair offered here, the Hickey glasses, and two pairs in Lincoln's pockets at the time of his shooting, two additional pairs have surfaced: one checked at +2.25 diopters in both lenses, and one with +2.75 and +2.25 diopters, both having greater strength than the pairs found in Lincoln's pockets. Both of these pairs were gifted by Mary Harlan Lincoln to photographer Joseph Leisenring, who was close to Robert Todd Lincoln's family and who served as a photographer of Robert and Mary's children. One pair of these glasses was sold by Heritage in 2008. Perhaps most convincing is the fact that the pair of glasses which Robert Todd Beckwith gifted to James Hickey, as noted above - at the same time he gave our pair to Margaret Fristoe Beckwith - measures at +4.50 diopters. This is an even stronger prescription than the pair of Lincoln eyeglasses offered here. Thus, we can confirm that Lincoln wore eyeglasses with prescriptions set at +1.62, +2.0, +2.25, +2,75, and +4.5, and several ophthalmologists consulted have stated that our +3.50 prescription would be a correct prescription for reading glasses. Of course, it is common for men and women to have such eyesight correction as they age, and it seems Lincoln was no exception as he wore reading glasses as early as 1856. His situation may have been further complicated by his documented case of superior oblique paresis, a misalignment of the eyes with possibly genetic origin, or perhaps from Lincoln's being kicked in the face by a horse in his youth. These historic and symbolic presidential eyeglasses, in many ways representative of the great president, have been accepted as genuine and displayed in several prominent museums and institutions, including Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, TN, the second largest Lincoln museum in the country; Hildene, the home of Robert Todd Lincoln; and the Seminary Ridge Museum, Gettysburg. Dr. James M. Cornelius, former curator of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, expressed personal enthusiasm for the exhibition of the glasses, commenting: 'What other special Lincoln possession might still be hiding out there?' In seeing a bent arm on the glasses, Cornelius also wondered if Lincoln, whose facial deformity was well known, had bent the arm to suit his visage: 'I've noticed that, but had thought it resulted from some rough handling or folding in later years -- or even by A[braham] L[incoln] himself?' One of the most spectacular Lincoln relics one could hope to own, thoroughly researched and with impeccable provenance. Copies of all provenance and extensive research are available upon request.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, COD (cash on delivery), Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

*SEE ADITTIONAL SHIPPING ABOVE* -Shipments are sent via FedEx and DHL (for most overseas shipments) or FedEx Ground at the auctioneer's option. We will ship with USPS Priority Mail only if the buyer submits their request to us in writing and accepts responsibility for delayed shipments. Signature is always required, unless other arrangements are made. Handling and shipping charges will be added to the invoice in one entry. Buyers should be aware that large, framed, fragile or odd shaped items can incur substantial shipping and packing charges. International shipments are invoiced by DIMENSIONAL weight, not the item weight. Please contact us for an estimate before bidding NOTE: Large, heavy or bulky items may not be shipped by the auctioneer - arrangements for shipping of these items via a third-party shipper may be arranged through the auction house. Customers who supply their own courier account number will still be charged a handling fee. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipments after receipt of payment due to the high volume of packages being shipped.

March 27, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $999,999 $10,000
$1,000,000 $1,999,999 $50,000
$2,000,000 + $100,000