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Primary sourcePainting1881

The Death of President Garfield

Currier & Ives · 1881

A Currier & Ives lithograph depicting James Garfield's deathbed, mourned by family and officials after his assassination.

This lithograph commemorates Garfield's death and shows how the public mourned him as president.

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Black-and-white lithograph titled 'Death of General James A. Garfield, Twentieth President of the United States.' A man lies in bed, with mourners in dark suits and two women in long dresses kneeling at the bedside. Other men stand around the room, and a printed caption with names and dates runs along the bottom.
Currier & Ives, Death of General James A. Garfield, 1881. Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a lithograph print made by Currier & Ives in 1881, titled 'Death of General James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States.' It shows Garfield lying in bed surrounded by mourners, with a printed caption of names and dates along the bottom. It is held by the Library of Congress.

Why it matters

Garfield died in 1881 after being shot by an assassin. This popular print shows how the public responded to his death, turning him into a mourned, almost martyr-like figure. Prints like this were mass-produced and sold to a grieving public eager for images connected to the event.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the artist chose to show mourners kneeling at the bedside?
  • What feelings does this image try to create in the viewer?
  • What does the popularity of such prints tell us about how Americans reacted to Garfield's death?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James A. Garfield on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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