This Lincoln Sesquicentennial Issue stamp was issued to commemorate the centennial of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, a series of debates held in 1858 by Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, and Stephen Douglas, the incumbent Democratic candidate, for a seat in the United States Senate representing the state of Illinois. There were seven joint debates total. Lincoln lost to Douglas for a seat in the United States Senate, but eventually went on to be elected President of the United States during the 1860 Election. This stamp features an image of Lincoln and Douglas debating based on a painting by Joseph Boggs Beale.
Scott Catalogue USA: 1115
Museum ID: 1980.2493.5245