President Arthur Taking the Oath of Office at His Private Residence

This engraving shows President Chester Arthur taking the oath of office at his home in New York City in the early morning hours of September 20, 1881. Arthur became president following the death of President James Garfield, who was shot on July 2, 1881 in a Washington, D.C. train station by Charles Guiteau and succumbed to his injuries 11 weeks later. Guiteau had sought a position in Garfield's government and was rejected. The engraving is based on a drawing by J. W. Alexander, possibly John White Alexander, a famous painter from that era who began his career as an illustrator and political cartoonist.