One of those words we haven’t heard for generations then, all of a sudden, it’s back in common usage – a catafalque is a frame for holding a coffin during a funeral or lying-in-state. This one was made in 1865 to support the casket (sic) of Abraham Lincoln while the president's body lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

It is a simple base of rough pine boards nailed together and covered with black cloth. While both the wooden structure and the fabric drapery have both been replaced on several occasions over the years, this item is still thought of as being the original item used for Lincoln, perhaps underlining the importance of our continued human existence, even when someone dies. Life, and catafalques, go on.

A full list of people who have lain-in-state on the Lincoln Catafalque is available on the U.S. Capitol website.