Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument1865

Broadside for the Capture of John Wilkes Booth, John Surratt, and David Herold

1865

A War Department reward poster from 1865 offering $100,000 for Booth's capture, with his photograph alongside Surratt and Herold.

This wanted poster features Booth's own photograph and names him as the chief target of the manhunt after Lincoln's assassination.

Ask John Wilkes Booth about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Printed 1865 War Department broadside offering rewards for the capture of Surratt, Booth, and Harold. Three photographic portraits appear across the top, labeled Surratt, Booth, and Harold. Large text reads 'THE MURDERER' and lists rewards of $100,000, $50,000, and two $25,000 rewards, with descriptions and a signature by Edwin M. Stanton.
War Department reward broadside for Booth, Surratt, and Herold, 1865. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This is a printed broadside issued in 1865 by the United States War Department, offering large cash rewards for the capture of John Wilkes Booth, John Surratt, and David Herold. It carries three photographic portraits across the top and is signed by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. It is now held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The broadside shows how the federal government used photography and mass printing to hunt down Lincoln's assassin and his accused accomplices. It reveals the scale of the manhunt and how quickly the government turned Booth's own celebrity image into a tool for his capture.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the government included photographs on the poster?
  • What does the size of the reward tell you about how the crime was viewed?
  • What is left out of this official account of the men being hunted?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John Wilkes Booth on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More John Wilkes Booth sources

Meet the AI John Wilkes Booth →
Photograph of a small single-shot pistol displayed in a museum case, the weapon used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.Artifact

Primary source

John Wilkes Booth's Deringer Pistol

Henry Deringer · c. 1860s

Photograph of a small off-white calling card with handwritten pencil text reading 'Don't wish to bother you. Are you at home?' and the signature 'J. Wilkes Booth' with a small underline flourish below.Document

Primary source

Calling Card Left by John Wilkes Booth for Andrew Johnson

John Wilkes Booth · 14 April 1865

Sepia-toned photograph of a large crowd before a building with columns and an American flag. A speaker stands on a raised platform at center. White text labels read 'Abraham Lincoln' near the speaker and 'John Wilkes Booth' above him, near the upper crowd.Photograph

Primary source

Lincoln's Second Inauguration Photograph

Alexander Gardner

Black-and-white lithograph of the Lincoln assassination in the Ford's Theatre presidential box. Major Rathbone stands at left pointing. Miss Harris and Mrs. Lincoln sit center. President Lincoln sits in an armchair at right. John Wilkes Booth, labeled Assassin, stands at far right aiming a smoking pistol beside an American flag. Title and publisher text appear below.Painting

Secondary source

The Assassination of President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre

Currier & Ives · 1865

Sepia-toned studio portrait of a seated man with wavy dark hair and a thick mustache. He wears a dark double-breasted coat, a white shirt, and a patterned cravat. He rests one hand on his hip and holds a cane.Photograph

Primary source

Carte de Visite of John Wilkes Booth

Ready when you are

Start chatting with John Wilkes Booth now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions