Magnificent 9.75 x 8.25 mounted albumen photograph of Garfield giving his inaugural address on the east portico of the US Capitol on March 4, 1881, affixed to a 14 x 12 mount, signed and inscribed on the mount in black ink as president, “To Alex Campbell, Jr., With the compliments of J. A. Garfield, Washington, DC, March 11, 1881.” In very good condition, with scattered light staining affecting appearance but not handwriting legibility, and some cracks to mount reinforced with archival tissue on reverse. Accompanied by a letter from Williams College, Garfield’s alma mater, noting that this photograph is reproduced in the biography The Garfield Orbit by Margaret Leech. As Garfield’s tenure in office was cut short by an assassin’s bullet in early July, his autographs signed as president are extremely rare. This extraordinary photograph of a historic moment—a rarity on its own given its large size—is absolutely remarkable and likely unique.
Garfield began preparing for his inaugural address in December, beginning by reading the speeches of his predecessors in chronological order. He found most of them—except Lincoln’s—to be ‘dreary reading,’ and expected his would be the same. After writing and revising over the course of months, he tore up the speech and rewrote it three days before the inauguration. Despite some of the soaring eloquence that made Garfield known as an inspiring speaker, his inaugural address was grounded in policy and focused on the nation’s issues in agriculture, commerce, currency, and civil service reform. Following the address, Chief Justice Morrison Waite administered the oath of office and Garfield was officially sworn in as the twentieth president of the United States.
Ex. Charles Hamilton, March 1, 1979; sale 118, lot 107.
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