Description:

James R. Lowell
Cambridge, MA, March 12, 1891
J. R. Lowell AQS From "Commemoration Ode" For Abraham Lincoln, 1865
AQS

An autograph quotation signed by James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) featuring a lengthy stanza from his poem on the death of Abraham Lincoln, originally recited at Harvard in 1865. 1p, measuring 4.25" x 7", Cambridge, MA, March 12, 1891. Boldly signed in the lower right "J. R. Lowell" and dated five months to the day before his own death in August. The page has been mounted to a stiff board paper, measuring 8.75" x 11.25" overall. Exhibits light toning and handling marks throughout, with areas of minor edge wear. Else, near fine.

In full:

"Nature, they say, doth dote,
And cannot make a man
Save on some worn out plan,
Repeating us by rote:
For him her Old World moulds aside she threw,
And, choosing sweet clay from the breast
Of the unexhausted West,
With stuff untainted shaped a hero new,
Wise, steadfast in the strength of God, and true/.
1865."

Following Lincoln's assassination, Lowell was asked to present a poem at Harvard in memory of graduates killed in the Civil War. His poem, referred to as the "Commemoration Ode", was delivered on July 21, 1865, with its sixth stanza on Abraham Lincoln added shortly after this initial debut. By the late 1870s, "Commemoration Ode" was often listed alongside Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" as some of the best poetry honoring Lincoln.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.75" x 11.25"
  • Medium: AQS

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