Page 29 - ARUBA TODAY

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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 1 october 2018
New Orleans gallery acquires Lincoln opera glasses

By KEVIN McGILL tacted roughly two weeks their authenticity include a
Associated Press earlier by the previous 1968 letter from a National
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — It's owner, who said he had Park Service chief curator
not the gilt-detailed crafts- paid $424,000 for the opera to McCamly's great-great-
manship or the age of the glasses at Christies' auction grandson, who was seeking
small, brass, black-enam- house in 2002. He was inter- to verify family lore. It said
eled binoculars that might ested in selling. "He's now the opera glasses "precisely
fetch a French Quarter an- in his 80s and he's suffered fit" a case picked up in Lin-
tique gallery's asking price some health issues and coln's box the night he was
of $795,000. It's their history: that's why he called us," shot.
Abraham Lincoln is be- Rau said. There have been skeptics.
lieved to have used them The story behind the ar- Another park service cu-
to get a better view of the tifact: After Lincoln was rator told The Washington
stage at Ford's Theatre on shot, McCamly was among Post in 2011 that she doubt-
the night he was assassi- those helping move the ed the opera glasses would
nated. mortally wounded presi- still have been on Lincoln's
M.S. Rau Antiques recently dent from the theater to a person as he was carried
acquired the binoculars, This photo shows a set of small binoculars believed to have building across the street. across the street and that
been carried by President Abraham Lincoln on the night he was
known as opera glasses, assassinated at Ford's Theatre, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2018 in New Something fell from Lin- the case in which they fit
from a seller who has re- Orleans. coln's body and McCamly may have been Mary Todd
mained anonymous. Previ- Associated Press picked it up. Lincoln's. But past buyers
ous owners have included He found the binoculars in have been convinced of
the Forbes family of publish- the street after they fell from deal in great pieces and his pocket the next day. It's the artifact's authenticity,
ing fame — the magazine Lincoln's near-lifeless body this is one of the most ex- unclear whether he tried as is Rau, who pointed to a
reportedly paid $24,000 (it's unclear if they were in citing pieces we've ever to return them amid the tiny dent in one eyepiece
for them in 1979. Others the president's hands or en- owned," Bill Rau, the third- turmoil following the presi- as evidence lending credi-
include generations of de- tangled in his clothing) as generation owner of the dent's death. They were bility to the McCamly family
scendants of Capt. James he was carried out of the century-old family business handed down within the story. (The Christie's website
McCamly, a military officer theater on the night of April on Royal Street, said Thurs- family from generation to description of the glasses
believed to have picked 14, 1865. day. generation. notes a small crack in one
the opera glasses up from "We deal in history and we Rau said he had been con- Documents attesting to lens "as if dropped.")q