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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Unknown [Remains of violets from Charles Sumner's funeral service]

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC02095.36 Author/Creator: Unknown Place Written: Boston, Massachusetts Type: Ephemera Date: 16 March 1874 Pagination: 1 folded paper ; 5 x 7 cm. Order a Copy

In folded paper with note: "Violets from the coffin of the Hon. Chas. Sumner, March 13/74 deceased Mar 11. 74. [10]. m. to 3 pm." Violets are no longer intact; only brittle pieces remain.

When he died in 1874, Sumner's funeral was conducted in the Senate Chamber and he lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda. Individual states competed for the honor of having his body displayed in their capitols (http://www.senate.gov).

Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874

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