Before the Blanche House, Lincoln had patented an idea for ships.

Abraham Lincoln does not only appear in historical collections in the form of portraits and political documents. The Smithsonian also retains a replica of its patented boat model. The object refers to a very different concern from his speeches: how to help a ship cross a shallow obstacle?

The invention provides for inflatable chambers placed on the sides of the boat. By increasing buoyancy at the appropriate time, the device would allow the hull to be lifted further and pass over sand banks or other obstacles. The patent was granted in 1849, before his presidency.

The patented idea is not proof of commercial success or widely installed equipment. But it shows a documented facet of Lincoln, also brought as a lawyer to deal with patent cases. Behind the silhouette became monumental, there was also a man who drew a device and deposited an invention to solve a practical river problem.