Lincoln Memorial, (sculpture).

Lincoln Memorial, (sculpture).

French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931, sculptor.

Longman, Evelyn Beatrice, 1874-1954, sculptor.

Bairstow, Ernest C., 1876-1962, assistant.

Bacon, Henry, 1866-1924, architect.

Piccirilli Brothers Marble Carving Studios, carver.

Lincoln Memorial, (sculpture).

Dedicated May 30, 1922.

Digital Reference:

Georgia Marble.

Statue: H. 19 ft.

(On proper left side of figure:) Daniel C French Sc signed

"Lincoln in seated in an architectural throne chair with fasces posts, which in turn is placed on a 10-foot marble pedestal. His coat is unbuttoned; his hands are at rest on the arms of the chair; his facial expression seems to be one of vibrant contemplation. The memorial is surrounded by a colonnade of 38 fluted Doric columns....The top frieze contains the names of the forty-eight states which existed at the time of the dedication...the thirty-six states listed above the colonnade are those which existed at the time of Lincoln's death....A series of Classical details, including swags, wreaths, and eagles, embellish the attic level of the building. The interior is divided into three sections by 50-foot high Ionic columns, the center section containing the statue by French. The chambers on each side contain murals...; on the left wall Lincoln's Gettyburg Address is inscribed, and on the right his Second Inaugural Address appears."

Portrait male -- Lincoln, Abraham -- Full length

Occupation -- Political -- President

Occupation -- Law -- Lawyer

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

West Potomac Park, Washington, District of Columbia

The nineteen-foot statue was carved from French's seven-foot plaster model by the Piccirilli Brothers who used twenty-eight identical blocks of Georgia marble. It took four years, and when the carving was completed the twenty-eight pieces were brought to Washington and assembled on site. The Piccirilli Brothers also carved the two urns in front of the statue of Lincoln. Ernest C. Bairstow did the stonework on the memorial. Evelyn Beatrice Longman modeled the eagles and double wreaths for the decorative wall panels near the carved words of Lincoln's addresses, as a favor to French and Bacon when their funding to complete the work ran short.

The inscription on the wall behind Lincoln reads: IN THIS TEMPLE, AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE, FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION, THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Richman, Michael, "Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor," New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1976, pg. 171-186.

Bronx Times, July 15, 1999, pg. 6-7.

Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 86-95.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, K-9.

Richman, Michael, "Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor," New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1976, pg. 182.

Bronx Times, July 15, 1999, pg. 7.

Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 87, 88, and 93.

For model see: 76003362.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Control Number:

Horizon Information Portal 3.25_9382

Powered by SirsiDynix

About | © 2020 Smithsonian | Terms of Use | Privacy | Contact

SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System