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Abraham Lincoln's Slippers
At the Soldiers' Home, Abraham Lincoln's public and private words often collided. While his public image was defined by his signature stovepipe hat, privately, President Lincoln was more casual.
Meetings at the Cottage were often impromptu and informal, and Lincoln was known to greet guests in his carpet slippers. Lincoln was wearing slippers -- possibly this very pair -- when he met with an English traveler named George Borrett in 1864. Borrett recalled that his "uneasiness and awe vanished" once he saw the president's laid back attire. Similarly, a group of army officers recorded their experience at the Cottage in 1863, noting that Lincoln's slipper's "made the flip-flop sounds on the stairs."
The Cottage served as the setting for some of Lincoln's most important decision making, but it was also a quiet retreat for a tired president. Today, the Cottage allows visitors to walk in Lincoln's slipper-covered footsteps to better understand Abraham Lincoln, the private man and president. |