The dirty image might be the result of prolonged exhibition on Lincoln's deathbed in Chicago or Omaha; it is not known if the sheet was actually displayed on the bed. Lincoln's death room at the Petersen House was rented by William Clark, a young bachelor who may not have regularly washed his bed sheets. Laundry was a complicated chore in the nineteenth-century, and standards of cleanliness were considerably more relaxed than they are today. Clark continued to sleep in the bed after Lincoln's body was removed, using the same coverlet.

Sheet attributed to Lincoln's deathbed at the Petersen House. (CHS 1920.253)

A large blood stain is located near the far right corner of the sheet, consistent with Lincoln's diagonal position on the bed.

Forensic scientists describe the stain as a multilayered blood residue, consistent with reports that Lincoln's clotted wound was repeatedly probed to release accumulated blood. Preliminary analytical tests indicate the presence of blood on the sheet; confirmatory tests are pending.

Lincoln's deathbed at the Petersen House. Photograph by Petersen House boarder Julius Ulke, April 15, 1865. (ICHi-11209)
The sheet is hand-stitched from two narrow loom widths of linen, consistent with nineteenth-century bed linens. Heavy soiling creates a Turin shroud-like image of a bed and pillows.