Lincoln's Watch

Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
March 9, 2016
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Abraham Lincoln's watch
Smithsonian's National Museum of American History

Lincoln’s English gold watch was purchased in the 1850s from George Chatterton, a Springfield, Illinois, jeweler. Lincoln was not outwardly vain, but the fine gold watch was a conspicuous symbol of his success as a prominent Illinois lawyer.

The National Museum of American History acquired the watch in 1958 as a gift from Lincoln Isham, Abraham Lincoln great-grandson.  

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.