Gettysburg Pennsylvania-1958: Handheld Close View of a Raised-Letter Lincoln Address Tablet

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit

This clip suits requests for mid-century amateur footage that identifies where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, in Civil War, Lincoln or heritage-tourism productions.

Period detail

The tablet text itself is undated beyond 1869, and the circa 1958 date rests on 1950s cars elsewhere on the reel, so this frame may show the marker as it looked to postwar visitors.

Home-movie behavior

A visitor filmed the whole tablet so the family could read it later, a common note-taking habit of amateur travel filmmakers at landmarks.

What appears in frame

The shot shows a dark metal tablet with a raised heading, a long inscription naming Lincoln and the cemetery, the 1869 dedication date, architect and sculptor credit lines, the tablet's bright edge and dark foliage at right.

Film character

Soft focus, visible grain and a cool blue-violet colour cast give the shot a projected 8mm texture, and the gentle handheld drift marks it as personal footage.

Edit role

Use it as a readable insert or location identifier before or after wider shots of the Soldiers' National Monument and cemetery.

Historical context

According to the tablet, the Soldiers' National Monument was dedicated on July 1, 1869, stands where Lincoln gave his address and was the first monument erected on the battlefield.

Research note

No people appear. The inscription is a public historical text on federal memorial grounds, but rights in the film footage are a separate question from the monument and site, and buyers should apply their usual review.

Research search match

Researchers may search for Gettysburg Address site footage, 8mm Soldiers' National Monument plaque, 1950s Gettysburg home movie, or vintage Civil War memorial inscription.

Archive pairing path

Pair it with the Army of Northern Virginia battery tablet from this reel, then the reel's Pennsylvania Memorial and cemetery shots, then its Tomb of the Unknowns wreath laying and Yorktown First Siege Line sign.