Object Details
- Description
- The successful presidential campaign of Republican Abraham Lincoln perfected the nighttime torchlight parade as an entertainment of unprecedented scale that attracted the attention of men, women, and children. The concept originated in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1858, and was revived for Lincoln’s campaign by the city’s young Republicans. Tailored oil-resistant enameled cloth capes distinguished the marchers, some of whom were too young to vote. Their example spread from Hartford to cities in the northeastern United States, which contributed traveling companies totaling some ten thousand uniformed men with torches such as this one to a Grand Procession in New York City on October 3, 1860. The martial spectacle—including fireworks, Lincoln “Wide Awake” transparencies, and floats—created envy among the city’s Democrats, and panic among southern sympathizers who regarded the torch-lit parade as a provocation.
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- date made
- by 1860
- c 1860
- Credit Line
- George L. and Mary E. Compton
- Physical Description
- brass (overall material)
- eagle (overall shape)
- Measurements
- overall: 12 1/4 in x 9 in x 2 1/4 in; 31.115 cm x 22.86 cm x 5.715 cm
- Object Name
- Torch
