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Thursday is the 160th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s hat.
Not of him wearing a hat, which he started to do long before his inauguration as president on March 4, 1861. But of a particular hat which had a particularly important day.
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Lincoln was elected president in November 1860, the Republican defeating the (secessionist) Democrat John Breckinridge, the (unionist) Democrat Stephen Douglas and yet another unionist, the Constitutional Union’s John Bell. On the brink of civil war, Lincoln’s travel from Illinois to Washington, D.C., was perilous. At one point he travelled incognito to avoid hostile mobs, which required him to abandon the stove-pipe hat.
Abraham Lincoln told the following story, when beseeched by job-seekers in Washington:
An eccentric old king was so much bothered by bad weather, that he hired a prophet to prophesy the royal weather for him. One day, as the king was dressing for an important engagement, he asked the weather prophet what the weather would be like.
“It will be a bright, clear night,” predicted the prophet.
The king, following the advice of his prophet, put on a light suit and left his umbrella in the palace closet as he started off. On the road he chanced to meet an old farmer riding a jackass, holding an umbrella over his head.
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Thoroughly Modern Court
Courtesy London’s School of Oriental and African Studies
The Empire of the Sikhs exhibition in London highlights Punjabi history with a special focus on Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Upon entering the foyer of the recently concluded
Empire of the Sikhs exhibition at the Brunei Gallery, London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, spectators are immediately confronted by a formidably large howitzer from the artillery arm of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839). Over 6 meters in length, the dramatically gleaming brass, mother of pearl, and dark teak wood of the howitzer represents the military strength of Lahore when the Sikh Empire (1799-1849) was at the height of its power. Its intimidating dimensions are perfectly placed to introduce viewers to the expansive scope of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule, and the interplay between patronage, prosperity and peace that the howitzer represents. Manufactured in Lahore in 1838, the howitzer is based on contemporary Br