Description

This cacheted cover commemorates the centennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's campaign speech promoting presidential candidate William Henry Harrison at Alton, Illinois, on April 9, 1840. On the left half of the envelope, the cachet printed in pink and gray ink depicts the building where Lincoln spoke. The title printed above the cachet reads "One hundred years ago, on April 9, 1840, Abraham Lincoln Delivered a Political Address at Alton." The caption below the cachet is "The Ryder Building Where Lincoln Spoke." A postmark reading "Alton, Ill., Apr 9, 1940,12 M" is stamped on the upper right of the envelope. The envelope is addressed to Lincoln Nat'l Life Foundation, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tucked inside the envelope is a brown-colored folder which contains a quotation from the Alton Telegraph of April 11, 1840, about Lincoln's speech at Alton and text by Theodore Charrney describing the building where Lincoln spoke. Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum