Abraham Lincoln, (sculpture).

Abraham Lincoln, (sculpture).

Flannery, Lot, active 1850-1859, sculptor.

Pierson, Frank G., architect.

Abraham Lincoln, (sculpture).

Dedicated April 15, 1868. Relocated 1919-1920. Rededicated April 15, 1923.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: marble; Base: granite.

Sculpture: approx. 7 ft. 3 in. x 2 ft. 9 in. x 2 ft. 5 in.; Base: approx. 6 ft. 4 in. x 7 ft. x 7 ft.

Lot Flannery, Sculptor (Base, front:) LINCOLN (Base, rear:) ABRAHAM LINCOLN/1809-1865/THIS STATVE WAS ERECTED/BY THE CITIZENS OF THE/DISTRICT OF COLVMBIA/APRIL 15 1868/RE-ERECTED APRIL 15 1923/VNDER ACT OF CONGRESS/OF JVNE 21 1922 (Base, rear, lowest section:) Frank G. Pierson, Architect signed

Standing portrait of Lincoln wearing a waistcoat, bow tie, and a long coat. He stands with his proper left hand resting on a fasces, a bundle of rods tied together with a ribbon of stars, the Roman emblem of authority. His proper right arm is at his side, his proper right hand is partially open and pointing out toward the ground. Lincoln looks off into the distance toward his proper left. On his proper right side, a sword or scroll once hung, but is now missing. The sculpture rests on a two-tiered granite base consisting of a short rectangle on top of a low, square foundation.

Portrait male -- Lincoln, Abraham -- Full length

Occupation -- Political -- President

Occupation -- Law -- Lawyer

Outdoor Sculpture -- District of Columbia -- Washington

Administered by District of Columbia, Department of Administrative Services, Washington, District of Columbia

Located Superior Court of the District of Columbia, 451 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Entrance steps, Washington, District of Columbia

Formerly located District of Columbia City Hall, 451 Indiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, District of Columbia

Sculpture was originally installed on an eighteen foot high column, which rested on a six foot high octagonal base. The column was surmounted with a four-foot wide molded capital. The sculpture was reinstalled on its current base on April 15, 1923, by an Act of Congress dated June 21, 1922. According to the Goode publication, this sculpture was the first monument commissioned after Lincoln's death. The cost of the monument was 25,000 dollars. Funds were raised by the citizens of Washington, D.C. and the Lincoln Monument Association, begun in April 1965. On April 15, 1868, the third anniversary of Lincoln's death, the sculpture was erected and dedicated on the steps of the then District of Columbia City Hall, now the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. IAS files contain an article from the Evening Star (Washington), April 15, 1868, which describes the dedication of the sculpture in detail.

In 1919-1920 the sculpture was removed and placed in storage while the Superior Court building was enlarged. Government officials contemplated not reinstalling the sculpture since the Lincoln Memorial was already under construction. However, there was such public support for the sculpture, that is was reinstalled on April 15, 1923. A new, much lower, base was constructed for the sculpture. At some point, Lincoln's proper right hand was replaced and it appears a little too large in scale.

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, pg. 229.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, District of Columbia survey, 1993.

SOS Assessment Award, 1998.

Inventory staff, 2000.

Michael Richman, SAAM curatorial assistant, 1967-1969.

Goode, James M., "The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C., A Comprehensive Historical Guide," Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1974, F-8.

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

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