Abraham Lincoln: The Man Explained

Abraham Lincoln: The Man (also called Standing Lincoln) is a larger-than-life size 12feet bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. The original statue is in Lincoln Park in Chicago, and later re-castings of the statue have been given as diplomatic gifts from the United States to the United Kingdom, and to Mexico.

Completed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1887, it has been described as the most important sculpture of Lincoln from the 19th century.^[1] At the time, the New York Evening Post called it "the most important achievement American sculpture has yet produced".^[2] Abraham Lincoln II, Lincoln's only grandson, was present, among a crowd of 10,000, at the initial unveiling.^[3] The artist later created the ('Seated Lincoln') sculpture in Chicago's Grant Park.

Design

The sculpture depicts a contemplative Lincoln rising from a chair of state, about to give a speech. It is set upon a pedestal and, in Chicago, an exedra designed by architect Stanford White.^[4] White's setting includes carved and bronze caste excerpts of Lincoln's writings. Chicago businessman Eli Bates (1806–1881) provided $40,000 in his will for the statue. Saint-Gaudens was specially selected for the commission after a design competition failed to produce a winning artist. Saint-Gaudens, who revered the President, had seen Lincoln at the time of his inauguration, and later viewed Lincoln's body lying in state. For his design, the artist also relied on a life mask and hand casts made of Lincoln in 1860 by Leonard W. Volk.^[2] While planning and working on the Standing Lincoln, Saint-Gaudens was first enticed to what would become his home and studio, and an associated artist's colony. To convince him to vacation near Cornish, New Hampshire, a friend told him the area had "many Lincoln-shaped men".

Reception and legacy

The sculpture's naturalism influenced a generation of artists.^[1] One sculptor Standing Lincoln significantly influenced was Daniel Chester French, who would go on to create the Lincoln statute at the Lincoln Memorial in 1920. The monument was also a favorite of Hull House founder Jane Addams, who once wrote, "I walked the wearisome way from Hull-House to Lincoln Park ... in order to look at and gain magnanimous counsel from the statue."^[5] Journalist Andrew Ferguson discusses the statue at length in his book Land of Lincoln, writing that the statue presents "a sort of world-weariness that seems almost kind". The City of Chicago awarded the monument landmark status on December 12, 2001. It is located near the Chicago History Museum and North Avenue.

Replicas

Replicas of the statue stand at Lincoln Tomb in Springfield, Illinois, Parque Lincoln in Mexico City, Parliament Square in London, and at the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire.^{[2] [6] [7] [8]}

• The Parliament Square statue was given to the United Kingdom in July 1920. The American Ambassador made a formal presentation at Central Hall, Westminster, where Prime Minister David Lloyd George accepted the gift on behalf of the people of Britain; after a procession to Parliament Square, the statue was unveiled by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.^{[7] [9]}

• The Mexico City statue was presented by United States President Lyndon Johnson to the people of Mexico in 1964.^{[10] [11]} Later, Johnson received a small copy of the bust from the statue, which since then is often seen displayed in the Oval Office of the White House.^[10]
• In 2016, a newly cast replica of the full-height statue was installed in the garden at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish.^[12]

Reductions

From 1910 onwards, Saint-Gaudens' widow, Augusta, oversaw the casting of a number of smaller replicas of the statue, reduced to slightly under one-third the size of the original.^[13]

• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: first cast – sold to Clara Stone Hay, 1911, previously on display in Washington. The sculpture belonged to the family of Lincoln's White House aide John Hay.
• Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven: second cast – gift of Allison Armour, 1937, originally purchased by George Armour
• Harvard Art Museums: third cast – purchased from Doll & Richards, Boston, by Grenville L. Winthrop, 1912
• Hotchkiss School: donated by Homer Sawyer, possibly in 1939–40
• Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh: gift of Charles Rosenbloom, 1943
• Chazy School District, New York: purchased 1923 by William H. Miner
• Detroit Institute of Art: donated by Mrs Walter O. Briggs, 1952
• Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills: cast in 1940 by Gorham
• Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn, Michigan: gift of the Ford Motor Company
• Carnegie Library, Jackson District Library, Jackson, Michigan: gift, 1915
• Lincoln Memorial University Library, Harrogate, Tennessee: donated by Sarah Lynn in memory of her husband, John Lynn, in 1938
• Lincoln Tomb, Springfield, Illinois
• Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey: gift of Franklin Murphy, 1920
• Saint-Gaudens Memorial, Cornish, New Hampshire: donated by Augusta Saint-Gaudens, 1919
• Fay School, Southborough, Massachusetts
• Abraham Lincoln School of Languages, Havana, Cuba

See also

• List of public art in Chicago
• List of public art in Mexico City
• List of statues of Abraham Lincoln
• List of sculptures of presidents of the United States

External links

• Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Master Sculptor, exhibition catalog fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on this statue

41.9126°N -87.6303°W

Notes and References

1. http://webapps.cityofchicago.org/landmarksweb/web/landmarkdetails.htm?lanId=1356 Abraham Lincoln Monument
2. Web site: Abraham Lincoln: The Man . Chicago Park District . 2010 . January 30, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150204101136/http://www.cpdit01.com/resources/planning-and-development.fountains-monuments-and-sculptures/Lincoln%20Park/Abraham%20Lincoln%20The%20Man%2Epdf . 2015-02-04 . dead .
3. Andrew Ferguson. Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2007. 71–72
4. Web site: StandingLincoln. sgnhs.org. 18 April 2016. 15 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171215084610/http://sgnhs.org/augustus-gaudens-cd-html/Monuments/CivilWar/StandingLincoln.htm. live.
5. "Influence of Lincoln ". Twenty Years at Hull House. Retrieved on August 14, 2007
6. http://genealogytrails.com/ill/lincolntomb.html Lincoln's Tomb
7. Web site: National Archives – United Kingdom, Statue of Abraham Lincoln. . 8 May 2011 . 12 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110612122110/http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=The_statue_of_Abraham_Lincoln_in_Parliament_Square . live .
8. Web site: Abraham Lincoln statue is returning home to New Hampshire . 2 June 2023 . 2 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230602140127/https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2016/06/05/abraham-lincoln-statue-returning-home-new-hampshire/ . live .
9. News: Americans Observe the Day in London; Two British Survivors of the Civil War Lay Wreath at Statue of Lincoln. Exercises at Cenotaph. Ray Atherton, American Charge d'Affaires, Other Embassy Members and Legionaires Attend Services . Charles A. . Selden . New York Times . May 31, 1931 . 23 . 10 November 2020 . 10 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201110175101/https://www.nytimes.com/1931/05/31/archives/americans-observe-the-day-in-london-two-british-survivors-of-the.html . live .
10. Web site: Abraham Lincoln in Cornish. nps.gov. April 18, 2016. 18 April 2016. 8 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161008203502/https://www.nps.gov/saga/learn/news/Lincoln.htm. live.
11. Web site: Katz . Jamie . 23 February 2017 . Why Abraham Lincoln Was Revered in Mexico . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20181225033525/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-mexico-loved-lincoln-180962258/ . 25 December 2018 . 2018-12-24 . Smithsonian . en.
12. Curtis, Jack, "Column: Saint-Gaudens’ Deeply Human Lincoln", Valley News, July 1, 2016. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
13. Thayer . Tolles . Abraham Lincoln: The Man (Standing Lincoln): a bronze statuette by Augustus Saint-Gaudens . Metropolitan Museum Journal . 48 . 2013 . 223–37 . 10.1086/675325 . 192203987 . 6 June 2022 . 16 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220616121631/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/675325 . live .