A short follow up thread on Japanese depictions of Lincoln's assassination.
Since sharing the thread on Grant below, I've found two additional Japanese illustrations of the events in Ford's Theatre.
Since sharing the thread on Grant below, I've found two additional Japanese illustrations of the events in Ford's Theatre.
One comes from an 1896 biography of Lincoln.
Whereas the 1873 drawing portrays a Caeser-like stabbing, this one focuses on a lone gun-wielding assassin.
dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid…
Whereas the 1873 drawing portrays a Caeser-like stabbing, this one focuses on a lone gun-wielding assassin.
dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid…
Amusingly, one chapter from the biography is entitled 正直アベ ("Honest Abe"). Insert Abe Shinzō joke here.
Another comes from a 1926 biography of Lincoln, this one far more comprehensive in coverage.
The assassination scene is dramatic, focusing on the turmoil in Lincoln's box seat.
dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid…
The assassination scene is dramatic, focusing on the turmoil in Lincoln's box seat.
dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid…
One thing that strikes me about the source is that it doesn't shy away from a discussion of the institutions of slavery or the politics of abolition in the US -- something entirely elided by the Grant retrospective.
Here's a young Lincoln, recoiling at the sight of a lashing.
Here's a young Lincoln, recoiling at the sight of a lashing.
It suggests a far more nuanced understanding not just of Lincoln's assassination but of the broader causes and consequences of the American civil war.
I imagine there are plenty of other sources out there; these are just a few I found online.
I imagine there are plenty of other sources out there; these are just a few I found online.
And of course, I just realized I'd actually found a third.
Here's another illustration from a 1939 book on George Washington, which also takes up Lincoln's legacy.
Here's another illustration from a 1939 book on George Washington, which also takes up Lincoln's legacy.
