Creator
Patent Office
Title
Presidential Inauguration Ball
Coverage
Washington, D.C.
Date
March 6, 1865
Description
The menus at President Lincoln’s second inaugural ball were printed on stiff board, seemingly so they could be placed upright on the buffet table. Before the dining room was opened for the midnight supper, the presidential party dined privately at the end of the long table where they may have been handed the display menus to help guide their choices. One of the three extant copies was reportedly saved by Lincoln.