Huge Lincoln Photograph Presented to R. I. Art. Co. Captain. 13 x 17!

This photograph of President Abraham Lincoln was made by photographer Anthony Berger, the manager of M. B. Brady's Photographic Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on February 9, 1864. The portrait of Abraham Lincoln on the $5 bill since 2006 is also based on this photograph.

Members of the Tower Light Battery of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, presented this engraving to Captain Samuel S. Collyer on June 29, 1865, ten weeks after Lincoln's assassination. Collyer had been elected captain of the company when it chose to reorganize in May 1864. By the end of that month, the Tower Light Battery had 65 men and 4 officers. In November 1864, Collyer was one of the organizers of a Grand Lincoln and Johnson Mass Meeting in Providence, just before the 1864 presidential election. In June 1865, Collyer was elected to the town council in Pawtucket.

[ABRAHAM LINCOLN.] Photograph Presented to Captain Samuel S. Collyer, June 29, 1865, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. 1 p., 13.5" x 17", framed to 20.75" x 25". With caption, "Presented to Captain Saml S. Collyer, by members of Tower Light Battery, June 29th 1865.”

Historical Background
A report of the presentation of this photograph appeared in The Evening Bulletin, published in Providence, on June 30, 1865: "Pawtucket. Presentation.–At a drill meeting of the Tower Light Battery, held in the Armory Thursday evening, a very pleasant surprise was effected upon the recent commander, Capt. S. S. Collyer. The gift was that of a beautiful half-life-sized photograph of our late beloved President Lincoln, heavily framed and of fine workmanship. The presentation was made by Sergeant French, in behalf of the members of the company, who, in alluding to the valuable services of the Captain to the company, wished him to accept of the above as a slight token of the esteem in which he had been held by them as their commander. The Captain, who had been a silent of the drill, and not suspecting in the least 'what was up,' accepted the gift with many thanks. Though he had always been considered a good tactician, he was forced to acknowledge that for once he had been taken by surprise, which was quite evident by words refusing to do their utterance. The secret had been well kept, though several weeks have been spent in consummating the plan."

Samuel S. Collyer (1832-1884) was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. He worked as a clerk in the Pawtucket Post Office and in a store. In 1851, he married Ellen Whipple, with whom he had one daughter. From 1863 to 1865, Collyer served as an officer in the Tower Light Battery, an artillery company raised in Pawtucket for the Civil War. Collyer became a machinist and worked for seven years before partnering with his uncle, Nathan S. Collyer (1810-1877). When his aunt died in 1879, the business passed to him From 1848 until his death, Collyer was associated with the fire departments of North Providence and Pawtucket, rising to the rank of Chief Engineer in 1874. In July 1884, while responding to a fire alarm, Hose Carriage #1, carrying Collyer, struck a post and overturned, injuring all six firemen aboard. Suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung in the accident, Collyer died three weeks later. In 1890, citizens of Pawtucket erected the Collyer Monument to his memory at a cost of $2,500. It consists of a life-size bronze of Collyer in his fireman's uniform with a trumpet in his hand, atop an eight-foot-tall granite base. Governor John W. Davis attended the dedication of the monument.

Tower Light Battery (1863-1879) was organized in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1863, and took its name for Captain Levi Tower of the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, who died on July 21, 1861, at the First Battle of Bull Run. Also known as Battery B, First Battalion, 16th Rhode Island Artillery, the group made its first parade in December 1863. The first officers were Captain Pardon Mason, 1st Lieutenants Samuel S. Collyer and George W. Newell, and 2nd Lieutenant Gilbert B. Dana. The Battery converted the Universalist Church on Exchange Street into an armory, called "Battery Hall." In 1879, the unit was redesignated Company F, Second Battalion, Infantry, Rhode Island Militia, and in 1887 as Company H, First Regiment of Infantry, Rhode Island Militia.

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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