The impromptu appearance of U.S. Patent Office examiner Horatio Taft and his wife Mary at a reception held by the Lincolns at the Willard Hotel produced some surprising results. Mrs. Taft and the future first lady had sons about the same age, and because both women were relative newcomers to Washington, they were anxious to find suitable playmates for their children. Horatio Taft's initial impression of the future president, recorded here, was not favorable.