The Coveted 1860 Campaign Ribbons, Produced from the Matthew Brady Portraits by the Famed Buttre Firm, These Being Previously Unknown Examples

The only one missing is Stephen A. Douglas from the major candidates; they come with the letter from the firm sending them, and each is in pristine condition

The Presidential election of 1860 was perhaps the most consequential of American history. Abraham Lincoln defeated Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. The electoral split between Northern and Southern Democrats was emblematic of the severe sectional split, particularly over slavery, and in the months following Lincoln’s election (and before his inauguration in March 1861), seven Southern states, led by South Carolina on Dec. 20, 1860, seceded from the Union, setting the stage for the Civil War.

During the 1860 election, John Chester Buttre, a New York City-based engraver who was responsible for publishing The American Portrait Gallery, used the Brady portrait of Lincoln and others to create ribbons for the various candidates, and examples of these are rare. Their numbers are known, counted and documented.

In 1902, years later, George Probst ran the Buttre “publishers, engravers, and plate printers” offices at Buttre. His customer, James Bullock, sent him a check for an order. And Probst went back into the company archives and found examples of 3 of the ribbons produced [deletion]. He found 2 examples and kept 1 for himself, sending the other to Bullock, meaning these were the final sets of these famous ribbons given out by the publisher, fully 40 years after their production.

Autograph letter signed, November 28, 1902, George Probst, to James W. Bullock, Esq, on JC Buttre Company letterhead. “I thank you most sincerely for your check of $100 on account received this morning. It is such a pleasure to deal with you, that it gives me great joy to inform you, that I made up my mind to make you a present of something very scarce and valuable, therefore I started to search in boxes and packages containing mostly old letters and happy it made me when I found at last 2 each of 2 different Lincoln’s, 2 Bell, 2 Breckenridge and Lane. Please find enclosed one set with best wishes….” $100 was a very large sum then, so this was no small purchase.

He encloses ribbons for Breckenridge and Lane; John Bell; and two ribbons of Abraham Lincoln styled after the Matthew Brady Cooper Union portrait. They are all present, in beautiful condition as they were sent.

Considered part of the most coveted set of political ribbons:

Breckinridge & Lane: Jugate “Brady” Ribbon. 2.5″ x 7.25″ white silk ribbon with scalloped edges. Part of a set of eight jugate & single-portrait ribbons for the four 1860 candidates, all with Brady images.

1860 John Bell Silk Ribbon 2.5″ x 7.75″

Classic 1860 Lincoln Campaign “Brady Ribbon” Measures 2.25″ x 7.25″ on silvery-white colored silk ribbon, with a bold portrait print of Abraham Lincoln.

1860 Single Portrait Brady Ribbon. 2.25″ x 6″ silk ribbon with half-length portrait of “A. Lincoln” after the Cooper Union portrait by Mathew Brady.