Lincoln Bedroom

About Lincoln Bedroom

The Lincoln Bedroom is located on the second floor of the White House, part of a guest suite of rooms that includes the Lincoln Sitting Room. The room is named for Abraham Lincoln and was used by him as an office. The room is best known as a guest room used by presidents to reward friends and political supporters.

The room has been furnished in a mix of Victorian styles including Renaissance Revival, Rococo Revival, and Aesthetic Movement, since the Truman renovation. Some of the furniture was used by the Lincoln administration but was purchased during earlier administrations, including the sofa and three matching chairs, two slipper chairs, and four of Lincoln's cabinet chairs. The central feature of the room is the Lincoln bed, a nearly 8-foot by 6-foot rosewood bed with an enormous headboard which is believed to have been purchased by Mary Todd Lincoln during her extensive redecorating efforts. The bed was probably never used by President Lincoln, although several later presidents have used it. An ornamental crown-shaped canopy hood was recently reconstructed to replace the lost original.

A holograph copy of the Gettysburg Address is displayed on the desk. This copy is the only one of five that is signed, dated, and titled by Lincoln.