A handwritten letter by First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln is for sale for the first time.
The letter, which attempts to get a girl a job at the Treasury Department, was an inherited family heirloom. It’s now for sale through The Raab Collection for $15,000.
“The girl whom I promised a place in the Treasury has not acted worthily, therefore I request that I may insert another name in the place. I am sure it will be an unimportant matter to you, and your compliance will gratify me,” the letter reads.
“It seems that the first girl had antagonized Mary in some way and she wanted her replaced with a more acceptable candidate,” the seller’s website added.
U.S. first lady Mary Todd Lincoln is shown in this undated portrait painting. (AP Photo)ASSOCIATED PRESS
The first lady’s time in the White House was marked with controversy and tragedy, including being part of a divided family during the Civil War, according to the Mary Todd Lincoln House.
“The pressures and anxieties of the Civil War were unrelenting. Mary watched her husband age under the strain,” the websites states.
In 1862, her 11-year-old son died from typhoid fever. Three years later, her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated.
The letter isn’t dated but matches letterhead used by her in 1864, according to the sellers.
