In 1858 , '' Our American Cousin '' debuted in Laura Keene 's Theater . On the night of 14 April 1865 , Keene 's company , which primarily included John Dyott and Harry Hawk , were performing '' Our American Cousin '' at Ford 's Theatre in Washington , D.C. . In attendance that night were President Abraham Lincoln and his wife First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln . Actor John Wilkes Booth fatally shot President Lincoln while Lincoln watched the play from the presidential box ; Booth then fled the theatre . Amid the confusion , Keene made her way to the presidential box where Lincoln lay dying and cradled the mortally wounded President 's head in her lap . President Lincoln 's fatal head wound bled on her dress , staining her cuff . The cuff was later donated to the National Museum of American History
fatally shot
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Laura Keene