Descriptive inventory for the Isham family and Lincoln family visual materials, ca. 1850-1930, bulk 1870-1890

Digitization and preservation of the nitrate negatives was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

To consult the negatives or glass negatives in this collection in the Research Center it is necessary to make an advance appointment (email: research@chicagohistory.org).

Nitrate negatives restricted from access, see reference copies instead.

No known copyright restritions.

Purchase, 1979 (1980.0166).

Nitrate reference copies available online http://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/ref/collection/chm_pp/id/1434.

Isham family and Lincoln family visual materials (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Black-and-white photographic prints and negatives related to the Mamie Lincoln and Charles Bradford Isham and Robert Todd Lincoln families. Primarily snapshots of family groups and leisure activities in Vermont, and interiors and furniture from the Robert Todd Lincoln residence. Includes a few photographs of painted and cased image portraits of Abraham, Mary Todd, and Tad Lincoln, as well as an unidentified Civil War officer in a frame with his uniform button and a manuscript note.

Robert Todd Lincoln was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln; Robert's eldest daughter, Mamie (1869-1938), married Charles Bradford Isham (d. 1919) on September 2, 1891. Mamie and Charles Isham bought a home in Manchester, Vermont, near Robert Lincoln’s Hildene estate, but settled in New York City. The Ishams had one son, whom they named Lincoln (1892-1971). On August 30, 1919, Lincoln Isham married Leahalma Correa and became stepfather to her daughter, Frances Mantley. The couple had no other children.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, are found in the cabinet card and cartes de visite composite collections filed by name; in the "Porter family and Isham family photograph collection" (1980.0212); in the "Photographs of Carpenter family, Isham family, and home at 945 North Dearborn Street" (2003.0191). Related manuscripts include the Isham family papers; the letters of R.T. Lincoln; and the records of Isham, Lincoln, and Beale.

Eliminated call number 1980.0166 PNN-0032 during nitrate digitization project 2017/03/02.

• Subject
  • Bedrooms--Vermont
  • Chairs
  • Chests
  • Closets
  • Country clubs--Vermont
  • Couches
  • Desks
  • Dining rooms--Vermont
  • Dwellings--Vermont
  • Gardens--Vermont
  • Living rooms--Vermont
  • Military officers--1860-1865--United States
• Names
  • Lincoln, Robert Todd, 1843-1926--Portraits
  • Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Portraits
  • Lincoln, Mary Todd, 1818-1882--Portraits
• Geographic Coverage
  • Vermont--Biography
  • Vermont--Pictorial works
  • Vermont--Social life and customs

The collection is arranged into two series by format.

Series 1. Prints, ca. 1850-1930 (box 1-2)

Black-and-white photographic prints, cabinet cards, carte-de-visites, and albums depicting portraits of Lincoln-Isham family members and an unidentified Civil War military officer, as well as interior views of Isham-Lincoln family homes, including Robert Todd Lincoln's Hildene.

Series 2. Negatives, ca. 1850-1930 (folder 1-3)

Black-and-white glass, acetate, and nitrate negatives depicting painted portraits of Isham-Lincoln family members, including Abraham Lincoln; exterior and interior views of Robert Todd Lincoln residences; and exterior views of an unidentified Country club in Manchester, Vt. Some negatives correspond to prints in Series 1; see container list for more details.