History is usually messy, and the hunt for the man who killed Abraham Lincoln was no different. Honestly, when you look at an original wanted poster John Wilkes Booth today, you aren't just looking at a piece of paper. You're looking at a nation in a state of absolute, unhinged panic.
It's 1865. The President is dead. The Civil War has just "ended," but the smoke hasn't cleared. And the man who pulled the trigger? He's gone.
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Most people think there was just one poster. One iconic "Wanted" sign that did the trick. That’s just not how it happened. In reality, the War Department was scrambling. They didn't even have a standardized way of doing this. They were making it up as they went, which led to some pretty weird mistakes that now make these documents worth a fortune.
The $100,000 Panic
The most famous version of the wanted poster John Wilkes Booth was issued on April 20, 1865. That’s six days after the shooting at Ford’s Theatre. Think about that for a second. The assassin was on the run for nearly a week before the "official" big-money poster even hit the streets.
Secretary of War Edwin Stanton was the guy behind it. He was basically running the country in a grief-stricken rage. He authorized a $100,000 reward. In 1865, that was an astronomical sum—roughly $2 million in today's money.
The breakdown was specific:
- $50,000 for Booth himself.
- $25,000 for John Surratt.
- $25,000 for David Herold.
But here is the thing: the government was so rushed that they couldn't even spell the names right. If you look at the first printing, David Herold is listed as "David C. Harold." John Surratt? He’s "John H. Surrat." It’s kinda wild that the most important manhunt in American history started with a typo.
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The Printing Wars
There wasn't just one "edition." There were four distinct printings by the War Department alone.
The first one didn't have pictures. It was just text. Cold, hard, bold type. "THE MURDERER Of our late beloved President Abraham Lincoln IS STILL AT LARGE." It’s haunting to read it in person. The descriptions were brief because, let's face it, Booth was a famous actor. People knew what he looked like. He was the 19th-century equivalent of a Hollywood A-lister going rogue.
By the second and third printings, they realized they needed visuals. This is where it gets interesting for collectors. They didn't have a way to print photos directly onto the paper back then. They actually had to glue "carte-de-visite" photographs—basically small Victorian trading cards—directly onto the posters.
If you find a wanted poster John Wilkes Booth with three photos glued to the top, you're looking at a second or third printing. These are the ones that sell at auctions for $160,000 to $200,000.
What the Descriptions Reveal
The text at the bottom of these posters is where the real drama lives. They described Booth as being "five feet 7 or 8 inches high," with a "heavy black moustache."
But by the later printings, the authorities were getting desperate. They added a line saying there was "reason to believe" he had shaved his moustache. They were trying to outthink a guy who was literally hiding in pine thickets and barns across Maryland and Virginia.
The poster for David Herold described him as a "little, chunky man." Imagine being wanted for the crime of the century and the government describes you as "chunky" on a national broadside. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Why the Fourth Printing is a Ghost
The fourth printing is the "What If" of history. It was typeset and ready to go, but it never really saw the light of day. Why? Because the 16th New York Cavalry caught up with Booth at Garrett's farm on April 26.
He was trapped in a tobacco barn. They set it on fire. Sergeant Boston Corbett shot him through a crack in the wall.
Since the "big" manhunt ended just six days after the poster was issued, many of these documents were simply tossed or never distributed. That’s why an authentic wanted poster John Wilkes Booth is one of the rarest finds in Americana.
Spotting a Fake (Because Everyone Has One)
If you find one of these in your grandmother’s attic, don't quit your job yet. Honestly, you've probably got a souvenir.
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During the Centennial in 1965 and even back in the late 1800s, people loved reprints. They’re everywhere. Millions of them.
Here is how you can tell if yours is the real deal:
- The Paper: Real 1865 paper isn't "parchment" that looks like a pirate map. It shouldn't be crinkly and brown like it was dipped in tea. Authentic posters were printed on thin, rag-content paper.
- The Ink: On a real poster, the ink is "letterpress." It has a slight indentation. You can almost feel where the metal type hit the paper.
- The Photos: On the rare photo versions, the pictures are glued on. If the photos are printed as part of the paper (halftones), it’s a modern reproduction.
- The Size: Most originals are roughly 12 by 24 inches. Reprints are often smaller, like 8x10 or standard letter size.
The Reward Money Mess
You’d think catching the most wanted man in the world would be a straightforward payday. It wasn't.
After Booth was killed, everyone wanted a piece of that $100,000. The soldiers, the detectives, the tipsters—they all fought for years. Eventually, the money was carved up. General Everton Conger, who led the hunt at the farm, got a huge chunk. But the guys who actually sat in the mud and did the work? They got much less.
Some states, like California, had offered rewards in gold that were never paid out. It was a legal nightmare that lasted way longer than the 12-day manhunt itself.
How to Value and Research Your Item
If you suspect you have an original, your next steps need to be precise. Do not try to "clean" it. Do not laminate it.
Start by checking the typography against the known specimens at the Library of Congress. Look for the "David C. Harold" misspelling. If that's there, you might have a first printing.
Reach out to a reputable auction house like Heritage Auctions or Swann Galleries. They deal with these specifically. A high-quality first or second printing can change your life financially, but the burden of proof is entirely on you. Most "discovered" posters end up being 1950s gift shop souvenirs, but every few decades, a real one surfaces from a family estate, just like the one that sold in 2023 for over $166,000.
Study the "ghosting" of the ink. Look at the back of the paper. History leaves marks that a modern printer just can't mimic.
Next Steps for Collectors and Historians
- Compare your document's dimensions against the official War Department records (roughly 13 x 24 inches for major broadsides).
- Use a magnifying glass to check for "dot patterns." If you see tiny dots making up the letters, it's a modern lithograph, not a 19th-century letterpress.
- Verify the provenance. Authentic posters usually have a "chain of custody" or a history of being in a specific collection or family for decades.
- Consult the Gilder Lehrman Institute or the Surratt House Museum for digital archives to compare your text alignment perfectly with known originals.