National Portrait Gallery To Stage Lincoln Exhibit

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. will stage a new exhibition beginning November 7, 2008 titled "One Life: The Mask Of Lincoln." The purpose of the exhibition is to explore how Lincoln crafted his public persona through the use of images.

The exhibition will feature approximately 30 images, all owned by the Gallery. Included in the exhibition are the famous 1865 "cracked plate" (shown to the left) photograph taken by Alexander Gardner; the 1857 "tousled hair" portrait by an unknown photographer; and the Matthew Brady "Cooper Union" photo, which Lincoln himself considered to be the image which made him president. Additional images include sketches and prints. For more information on the "cracked plate" image, long thought to the be last photo of Lincoln (but not), click here for a description from the Gallery.

The exhibition will run through July 5, 2009. This site from Artdaily.org contains more information about the show.

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Knox College Will Host Annual Lincoln Colloquium

Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois is preparing to host the 23rd Annual Lincoln Colloquium on October 11, 2008. Leading Lincoln and Civil War scholars such as Allen Guelzo, James McPherson, Rodney Davis, Garry Wills, and Douglas Wilson will be presenting lectures at the colloquium. Another part of the colloquium will be an exhibit of Lincoln artifacts by collectors and organizations.

This year marks the sesqui-centennial of the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, one of which took place on the campus of Knox College. It's "Old Main" building is the only surviving structure from the debate sites.

For more information, including the lectures which will be presented by the scholars, more information may be found here.

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Update: Lincoln Statue Brings $9,000

Back on July 7, I posted a story about an auction coming up in southeastern Ohio in which 62 acres of land plus various statues of U.S. presidents and military leaders were going to be sold.

The auction was held on Saturday July 19, in Frazeysburg, Ohio. The sandstone statue of Abraham Lincoln brought an impressive $9,000, but the most expensive statue (of U.S. Grant) went for a cool $35,000! The same gentleman purchased those two statutes, plus a statue of James B. McPherson (a Union Civil War general) for another $8,500. They are destined for the purchasers' property in Oxford, Ohio.

This article from the Coshocton Tribune (Ohio) contains more details about the auction turnout and results.

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Illinois Lincoln Birthday Celebration Underwhelming

A couple of posts ago, I discussed the fact that the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in Illinois had its budget cut by the governor of that state due to financial problems in that state. Now this article discusses some of the ways the state of Illinois will celebrate the 200th birthday of its most famous son.

The Commission is going to have schoolchildren across Illinois simultaneously read The Gettysburg Address. Good idea, but hopefully teachers will take the time to explain the meaning of the address, the importance of it in American history, and emphasize the fact that it's one of the finest speeches ever written. Without context, the point of having kids read it aloud will be lost.

The next idea is to have churches across Illinois toll their bells on February 12, 2009. That could be moving and help people remember Lincoln. But when you think about it, this idea doesn't make a lot of sense. Lincoln never officially joined any church and he most likely was never baptized. He did attend services on occasion, but he was not a "Christian" in the traditional meaning of the word.

Finally, the Commission is going to ask businesses to put "Happy Birthday, Abe" on their signs, boards, marquees, etc. This strikes me as a little ridiculous.

Even with budgetary restrictions, surely the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission in Illinois could come up with better ideas to celebrate and remember Lincoln. For example, it could pay for a re-enactment of the celebrations held in Springfield upon Lincoln's election to the presidency. A special book commemorating Lincoln could be written and sold through the state. It could organize a special "Lincoln Festival" in Springfield.

Anyway, this is only my opinion. I just think that the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln requires more dignified celebrations than asking businesses to display the words "Happy Birthday, Abe" out front.

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Abe Lincoln Childhood

Most people have read or heard about Abe Lincoln's childhood, including how he would walk for many miles to borrow books which were quite scarce in those days on the frontier. He of course did the things kids did back then, such as help with farming (which he disliked) and other chores and certainly played games which were then popular. Although he had under one year of formal education combined in his life, he was always an avid reader, preferring that activity to nearly all others.

Imagine how Abe might have turned out had he been able to play video games. Who knows what he might have pursued in life, but I sort of doubt he would've grown up to be the greatest president our country has yet produced. Here's a great photo of a kid playing a video game while wearing an Abe mask. For some reason, it struck me as very funny and led to this post. This blog is mostly serious, but life is far too short to not inject humor into it on occasion, including into serious blogs.

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Lapel Pins And False Patriotism

For months now, Barack Obama has been criticized for his refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin. He has been branded unpatriotic and called un-American by right-wing bloggers, media, and other pseudo-patriots who equate wearing an American flag pin (made in China, of course!) with patriotism. Unfortunately, Obama has now begun wearing one in recent weeks, thus pandering to critics who don't know what true patriotism is.

Today's New York Times contains an editorial about this "important issue," along with suggestions from various designers, illustrators, and artists about the type of lapel pin Obama should wear on the campaign trail. Various designs are suggested, but the first one mentioned is this lapel pin of Old Abe. The illustrator who suggests this, Tamara Shopsin, says that for her, Abraham Lincoln represents the best of America. Tamara, I couldn't agree with you more!

The ironic thing about all of this brouhaha over a cheap metal pin being equated to patriotism is that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are the two major politicians who wear their American flags proudly in their lapels. George W. Bush of course was placed into the National Guard courtesy of his family during the Vietnam War and then disappeared from his unit for a long time. Dick Cheney is really patrotic for wearing his pin, but obtained an unprecedented five deferrments from serving in the military while thousands of his generation died in battle.

Contrast this "patriotism" with both Obama and John McCain. Obama hasn't served in the military, but has dedicated his career to serving the poor and helping to better their lives. McCain was in the military and was held as a prisoner of war for years.

UPDATE: 09/10/2008: Senator John McCain accepted the Republican nomination for President Of The United States on September 4, 2008. McCain is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, served his country honorably in Viet Nam, and was of course held captive by the Viet Cong for over 5 years. No one would ever question his love of country. However, Senator McCain didn't wear an American flag lapel pin during his acceptance speech. Does this make him unpatriotic? I think not, just as Obama was not unpatriotic when he didn't wear one.

A lapel pin doesn't make a person a patriot. Serving one's country with dignity, grace, and honor does.

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Lincoln Birthday To Be Less Happy?

Mr. Lincoln appears to be slightly sad as depicted by this bust located in Burbank, California. If planned budget cuts become reality next year in Illinois, Abe's 200th birthday celebrations might be a little less happy than expected.

In an article from the July 12, 2008 edition of the Herald and Review, details are presented about how Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois has slashed about half of the annual budget for state historic sites due to economic tough times in the state. His budget also includes $3.7 million less for the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission than the Illinois legislature had budgeted. Most of the commission money would be used to help local communities stage their own Lincoln programs and exhibits in commemoration of the bicentennial.

Let's hope that the money can be restored along the way. While the state of Illinois is planning it's own celebrations, it would be a shame if there is no money for smaller communities to honor our nation's 16th president.

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