American Late Classical Walnut Drop Leaf Table with Purported Historical Reference

Mid-19th century, poplar secondary, rectangular top with rounded ends, hinged demilune drop leaves with slide support, dovetailed apron, turned support on quadruped base with applied scrolled feet.

28 x 36 x 13 in., each leaf 11.75 in.

Many people believed that John Wilkes Booth broke his leg when jumping from the state box onto the stage. Booth wrote this in a datebook that he used as a diary during his time on the run. He stated that "in jumping broke my leg" after shooting the president. Today however, some historians speculate that Booth may have in fact broken his left leg in a horseback riding accident while escaping Washington. Booth supposedly told David Herold, his fellow conspirator with whom he went on the run, that he had hurt his leg in such an incident. The left side of the horse Booth was riding was injured as well. In any event, by the time Booth arrived at the Surratt Tavern that night at around midnight, his left fibula was definitely broken. He was clearly in great pain as a result. This led him to seek out his former kidnapping plot co-conspirator, Dr. Samuel Mudd, for medical treatment. Ultimately, it’s likely that we will never know for sure exactly how the actor broke his left leg.

Oral family history states that Dr. Mudd supposedly set John Wilkes Booth's leg on the table, after he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln in 1865, at Fords Theater and fled through Southern Maryland. The accompanying document reads: "This table was given to my great-great grandparents William L. Russell and Nellie Gibson by Dr. Samuel Mudd as a wedding present. They were married January 7, 1875 at St Aloysius Roman Catholic Church in Leonardtown, Maryland (St. Mary's County, Maryland). Dr. Mudd (Charles County, Maryland) was a close family friend to the Russell side of the family."

Joint looseness; top surfaces with some discoloration and scratches; surface spotting towards base.