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Primary sourceArtifactc. 1860s

John Wilkes Booth's Deringer Pistol

Henry Deringer · c. 1860s

The small single-shot pistol made by Henry Deringer that John Wilkes Booth used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

This is the actual weapon Booth used to assassinate President Lincoln, making it the key physical evidence of his crime.

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Photograph of a small single-shot pistol displayed in a museum case, the weapon used to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Deringer pistol used by John Wilkes Booth, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.

About this source

What it is

This is the pistol, made by Henry Deringer, that John Wilkes Booth fired to assassinate President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. It is now held at Ford's Theatre National Historic Site.

Why it matters

This small, easily hidden pistol was the weapon used to kill Lincoln, making it a central piece of physical evidence connected to his death. It shows how a single object can be tied directly to a major turning point in history.

Look closer

  • What does the pistol's small size tell you about why Booth chose this weapon?
  • Why do museums preserve objects like this rather than destroying them?
  • What can this object tell us, and what can't it tell us, about the assassination itself?

This artifact 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.

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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.Document

Primary source

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

1865

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

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