The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, at the Capitol, Washington, March 4, 1861

The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, at the Capitol, Washington, March 4, 1861 is a significant wood engraving created by Winslow Homer in 1861. This detailed print captures the critical moment when Lincoln took the oath of office on the East Portico of the unfinished U.S. Capitol Building. Produced just weeks before the outbreak of the Civil War, the image serves as an essential historical document, documenting the profound tension and gravity surrounding the transfer of power in the deeply divided United States. Homer, working extensively as an illustrator at the time, created this timely visual report for mass distribution in publications like Harper's Weekly.

The piece demonstrates Homer’s early skills in composition and journalistic reportage. Utilizing the demanding medium of wood engraving, Homer masterfully depicts a vast crowd assembled below the steps, suggesting the immense national attention focused on the event. The architectural setting, dominated by the newly constructed wing of the Capitol, frames the presidential platform where Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney are visible. The inherent technical limitations of the print medium are expertly overcome by Homer's precise cross-hatching and tonal variations, effectively conveying the monumental scale of the gathering and the solemnity of the occasion.

As an important early example of Civil War-era photojournalism translated through illustration, this work provides a valuable perspective on 19th-century American politics and media culture. This historic print, The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, at the Capitol, Washington, March 4, 1861, is preserved in the collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it contributes to their comprehensive holdings of fine prints and works documenting the history of the United States.