Extremely Rare Signed Photos of Abraham Lincoln and His Assassin John Wilkes Booth Sell at Auction

May 08, 2026

Pesala Bandara

Two vintage sepia portraits: on the left, a bearded man in a suit with "A. Lincoln" signed below; on the right, a seated man in a suit with a handwritten signature above his portrait. — An 1863 signed photo of President Abraham Lincoln (left) sold for $139,200 while a signed 1862 photo of John Wilkes Booth (right) who assassinated him sold for $107,950 | Swann Galleries

An extremely rare collection of signed photographs of American historical figures including President Abraham Lincoln and even his assassin John Wilkes Booth were sold at auction for over $100,000 each.

Swann Galleries’ sale of “Important Signed Photographs from a California Family Collection” auction was held on Thursday (May 7). The sale included a signed photograph of Theodore Roosevelt and his entire cabinet in 1907, as well as signed photographs of Martin Luther King, Jr., Babe Ruth, Thomas Edison, and Mark Twain.

A sepia-toned portrait of Abraham Lincoln with a serious expression, wearing a bow tie and suit, shown inside an oval frame. The bottom of the image includes his signature and a typed caption. — An 1861 photograph of President Abraham Lincoln signed ‘Yours truly A. Lincoln’ sold for $101,600 | Swann Galleries

Two signed photographs of President Lincoln sold upwards of $100,000 each — while an uncommon, signed photograph of his assassin Booth also sold for over $107,000. Signed photographs of President Lincoln are exceedingly scarce, in part because the president’s life was cut dramatically short when he was killed by Booth in 1865, mere decades after the advent of photography as a medium.

Four men in suits sit in an elegant, book-lined room with framed paintings on the wall. The men are facing the camera, seated on chairs and a sofa, with a rug on the floor and a large desk at the right. — Theodore Roosevelt and his Cabinet, photograph signed by the president and his nine cabinet members sold for $15,240 | Swann Galleries

Two men in suits stand close together, smiling and talking outdoors. The photo is black and white, with handwritten signatures beneath the image. A blurred crowd and trees are visible in the background. — Photograph of John F. Kennedy; and Dwight D. Eisenhower, signed by both, sold for $20,320 | Swann Galleries

A vintage black-and-white photo of a baseball player mid-swing at home plate, wearing a classic uniform and cap, with spectators and a stadium visible in the background. An autograph is written on the bottom left. — Signed photograph of Babe Ruth sold for $11,430 | Swann Galleries

According to a report by Fine Books Magazine, the principal compiler of this remarkable collection was an investment counselor and entrepreneur who died in 2017. Passionate about United States political and business history, the California native built an extensive collection of signed photographs of some of the most prominent figures from America, which his son added to as well, before consigning it to Swann.

A sepia-toned portrait of an older man with wavy white hair and a mustache, wearing a suit and looking slightly to the side against a soft, blurred background. Handwritten notes and a signature appear below the image. — Signed photograph of Albert Einstein sold for $18,820

A black-and-white photo of Thomas Edison seated in a chair, wearing a suit, with bookshelves behind him. The photo is mounted on a mat with a handwritten note and signature at the bottom. — Signed photograph of Thomas Edison sold for $15,240 | Swann Galleries

“What is striking about this collection is the evidence of the effort to obtain the best or the most uncommon,” Marco Tomaschett, Autographs Specialist at Swann, tells Fine Books Magazine. “There are, for example, a number of cartes-de-visite and cabinet cards in the collection, and in those cases where signed examples are not extraordinarily uncommon, such as those signed by the suffragist Susan B. Anthony, the collection contains an example that is extraordinary in some other respect, for instance, a signed cabinet card that also has an uncommonly arresting image.”

A sepia-toned portrait of an older man with white hair and mustache, wearing a dark suit and vest, seated with one hand in his pocket. Handwritten notes and a signature appear above and below the photograph. — Signed 1905 photograph of Mark Twain sold for $11,430 | Swann Galleries

A Victorian-era man with a beard stands in formal attire, wearing a long coat with ornate trim. One hand is tucked into his coat, and there is a handwritten signature at the bottom of the sepia-toned photograph. — Signed 1868 photograph of British novelist Charles Dickens sold for $8,890 | Swann Galleries

Marco Tomaschett says that one of the most fascinating signed photos was one of John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower — which sold for $20,320.

“The photograph that interests me the most is the one showing Dwight D. Eisenhower and John D. Kennedy talking at the White House during the historic transition between their administrations,” Tomaschett adds.

“Both presidents added their signature to this item, making it one of the few autographs to have been signed by both these presidents who served during the transition between two epochs that continue to resonate through U.S. history: the closing of the Second World War, and the beginning of the Cold War.”