What type of documentation is available? Is it associated with the original relic collector or a later owner? Is there independent evidence verifying the origin of the artifact or its subsequent disposal? How many hands have the relics passed through, and would previous owners have had a motive for falsifying information?

Documentation from a towel fragment attributed to Lincoln's death bed at the Petersen House labeled "proof."

Cloak attributed to Mary Todd Lincoln (CHS 1920.976).

The material record of the artifacts is of primary importance.

Are the materials, design, and construction consistent with those of objects manufactured in 1865? What information can we glean from analyzing folds, tears, stains, and particles? Could the artifacts have been altered or contaminated?

Ultimately, the case for Mary Lincoln's cloak may rest on an analysis of several assassination artifacts and a preponderance of both historical and scientific evidence, rather than a single irrefutable DNA specimen.

What is your opinion? Did the Chicago Historical Society's cape belong to Mary Todd Lincoln? Was it wet with Abraham Lincoln's blood? How can you support your conclusions?

E-mail your decision to the investigators!

Lincoln assassination artifacts in the collection of the Chicago Historical Society.