Abraham Lincoln On PBS This Week

There are two special documentaries on PBS this week which should be of great interest to Abraham Lincoln enthusiasts. One is the story of the assassination, while the other strives to find the "real Lincoln," the man behind the myths.

Tonight (February 9, 2009) at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern), the PBS series American Experience tells the story of the assassination in feature film 90 minutes in length. It focuses not only on the assassination itself, but also on the tumultuous two months following the deed as approximately 7 million Americans showed an outpouring of grief which had never been seen in the country. These Americans either paid their respects at the funerals held in numerous cities across the eastern U.S. or by simply lining the tracks as his funeral train made its mournful journey to Springfield. The assassination was one of the greatest tragedies in our history and it helped to solidify myths about Lincoln, such as the belief that he was universally loved. The USA Today television critic says that some of the re-enactments are a bit "cheesy" but I think it should be a compelling film, at least based on the usual high quality programming on American Experience.

On Wednesday night (February 11, 2009) at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern), PBS will debut "Looking For Lincoln" (2 hours in length) hosted by the historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. as he looks for the "real" Lincoln. Too often, we lose sight of the fact that the people who helped shape American (and world) history were flesh and blood like us, that they had failings in their lives, that they were human. History becomes boring for students and adults alike when it becomes a recitation of facts, dates, and numbers. We need to understand the real persons hidden behind myth. A companion book of the same title has already been published. It is a remarkable look at how Lincoln's son Robert, various friends of Lincoln, and others worked to shape the Lincoln myths. It is an excellent book which I cannot recommend highly enough. I'm very much looking forward to this film. By the way, be sure to check out the link I provided in the opening sentence of this paragraph. You can take a Lincoln quiz, or even watch the film itself.

If you are just learning about Abraham Lincoln, or would like to further your understanding of this complex man, these two PBS films should do the trick. Please check your local PBS schedule as sometimes the local stations do not show the scheduled presentations at the same time as the national feed.

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"Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life" - An Extraordinary Exhibit

In recent posts, I've talked about my "Lincoln Weekend" in Washington D.C. The trip was a Christmas gift from my wife, who put aside her ambivalence about history for four days while I immersed myself in all things Abraham Lincoln. We visited the Lincoln Memorial, Capitol, The National Portrait Gallery and even some venues which had nothing to do with Lincoln at all.

On the first day of the visit, we visited the newly renovated and re-opened Smithsonian National Museum Of American History. As a quick aside, the restored original Star Spangled Banner exhibit is an absolute must see. The scientists and curator have done a marvelous job with it.

The main purpose for visiting the museum, though, was the exhibit "Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life" which opened just last month. This show marks the first time that the Smithsonian Institution has placed the entirety of its collection of Lincoln artifacts on display at the same time in the same exhibit.

The first Lincoln artifact the visitor encounters in this exhibit is none other than the top hat he wore to Ford's Theater the night he was assassinated, April 14, 1865. It only gets better from there. The original model Lincoln himself built to obtain his patent is on display here. A section of rail he split is shown along with a iron wedge he used to chop wood. A suit of clothes that Lincoln wore to his office is displayed next to one of the numerous dresses Mary Lincoln wore. Tad's pocket watch can be seen. The original document promoting U.S. Grant to Lt. General is shown, signed by Lincoln and his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. Two original life masks of Lincoln are in this exhibit, as is a casting of his hands. All major eras of Lincoln are represented, including his childhood, legal career, presidency, and his assassination. A bloodstained collar from Laura Keene (the lead actress in "Our American Cousin", the play Lincoln was watching when he was shot) is shown, the blood coming from Lincoln as she cradled his head. An original playbill from the play is on display as well.

I think I was most stunned by the display of the actual hoods worn by the co-conspirators of John Wilkes Booth while they were imprisoned during their trial by the U.S. military tribunal. Each prisoner was held in solitary confinement, hooded and in irons. I had no idea that these hoods still existed. Unfortunately, it was never recorded which hood was used by which prisoner, so that information is lost to history. You can see the hoods below in the picture I took (there are eight on display).

The Smithsonian Institution has placed this exhibit on-line, which may be found here. It contains over thirty (30) separate pages, and has full descriptions of the items in this exhibit. It also has published a companion book which may be ordered through its website. I picked up one while I was in the museum and it's a bargain at only $12.95.

"Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life" is an extraordinary exhibit, hands down the best I've ever seen regarding Mr. Lincoln. The items are displayed perfectly in low light, but bright enough to be easily seen. The display placards are informative. The exhibit space itself is large and visitor traffic flows easily. The items on display, of course, speak for themselves. You won't see them anywhere else. And the exhibit is presented as only the Smithsonian can do: there are no cheesy "statues" of Lincoln and his family; no high-tech features like holograms; no reproductions. Perfection. It runs until the year 2011, so there is no excuse for missing it. If you are a Lincoln enthusiast (and you must be since you're reading this blog), this is an absolute must.

My rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 log cabins

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Exhibit Review - One Life: The Mask Of Lincoln - National Portrait Gallery

The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery is currently holding a special exhibition of Abraham Lincoln portraits now through July 5, 2009. Titled "One Life: The Mask Of Lincoln" the exhibit depicts for the visitor the changing face of Lincoln as he served as our 16th president. It is part of the "Lincoln At The Smithsonian" series.

I had the pleasure of viewing the exhibit this past week during my "Lincoln Weekend" in Washington, D.C. A friend of mine had told me just how special this exhibit is and I'm happy to say she was correct.

The centerpiece of this exhibit is the photo I show at the top of this posting, the famous "cracked plate" photo of Lincoln taken just two months before his death, in February 1865. No, this is NOT the last photo of Lincoln as so many people still believe. But this is probably the most famous photo of Lincoln and is quite possibly one of the most famous in American history. Even after the deaths of 600,000 men in the Civil War, and the deaths of two of his four children, Lincoln was able to bring himself to have the slightest smile in this photo, as he realized that the horror of war was nearly over. The crack in the original negative adds poignancy to this photo of Lincoln. The print on exhibit is an original albumen silver print from 1865. Click here for more information plus an MP3 discussion about it.

The true last portrait known of Lincoln is also on display in the exhibit. Lincoln was apparently not pleased by the "surprise" photo as his face shows a little bit of anger. Recent research has shown that this photo was taken on March 6, 1865, at least a few weeks after the "cracked plate" photo.

My personal favorite Lincoln image is represented in the exhibit. This is the famous "Gettysburg" portrait in which Lincoln is staring directly at the camera. Taken only 11 days prior to the Gettysburg Address, it shows Lincoln as resolute, determined, and almost handsome.

All in all, there are roughly 40 images of Lincoln on display in this exhibit, all of them rare and priceless. The viewer can see ambrotype, stereo cards, cartes-de-visites, and prints of captivating images of Mr. Lincoln. No photography was permitted in the exhibit. But the link I provided in the opening paragraph contains every image of Lincoln on display along with a description.

Strangely, the National Portrait Gallery has chosen to not publish a companion book for this wonderful exhibit. It's a pity, because such a book could explain the images in-depth and in context for the enthusiast. Yes, books have been published in the past which contain every known pose of Lincoln, but this exhibit is so unique and special that a companion book should have been done. I know I would have purchased one.

The exhibit is fairly small, but incredibly well done. It was special being able to see original prints and plates of these famous Lincoln images. It is not to be missed.

My rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 Log Cabins

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Finding Lincoln At The United States Capitol

A little more than two months ago, a sparkling and impressive new Visitor Center opened at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. Open to the public, the Visitor Center will offer various exhibitions pertaining to the history of the building and the people who have served as our elected officials through the centuries.

This being Abraham Lincoln's bicentennial year, the Capitol is joining in the celebrations. This past Monday, my wife and I toured the Visitor Center during my "Lincoln Weekend" I posted about earlier this week. I'm happy I did, because I had no idea that I was going to find wonderful Lincoln items there.

Various famous documents are displayed at the Visitor Center and one of the first I noticed was none other than the original 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned slavery forever within our nation. President Lincoln's signature is present on the document, signed for once with his entire name instead of just "A. Lincoln" as if for extra emphasis. It is noted on the display placard that Lincoln's signature was NOT required by the Constitution, but he chose to sign it anyway. Unfortunately, Lincoln did not live to see the 13th Amendment become ratified and put into law on December 6, 1865.

A far less important, but still interesting, document on display shows a petition signed by Lincoln and his fellow residents requesting that a post office be established, at New Salem, Illinois, I believe.

I was very surprised to see that the catafalque which held Lincoln's casket in the Capitol Rotunda is also on display. The catafalque was first used for Lincoln's laying-in-state and has been used for every such ceremony since, with a couple of exceptions. It was last used for Presidents Ford and Reagan's laying-in-state. The material on the catafalque is not original, but closely resembles the original fabric. It is fragile and is displayed inside the wall of the Center, behind glass.

The last item associated with Lincoln in the Visitor Center is the very table he used during his Second Inaugural Address. It was stunning for me to see the table, as I had no idea it still existed. You can easily see the table, which was specially built for the occasion, in the photo taken during his Address on March 4, 1865. The table is displayed under glass and is immediately across from the catafalque. To think that one was made for a such a happy occasion while the other was made just 6 weeks later after a national calamity was emotional for me.

There are of course many more artifacts and bits of information in the Capitol Visitor Center which have nothing to do with Abraham Lincoln. Displays explain how our government (supposedly) works, the history of the Capitol, stories about famous senators and representatives, and so on. But since this blog is about Lincoln, I don't want to go into depth about the other displays.

Sorry I can't include photos of the items I've described here, but photography of any type is not permitted in the exhibition part of the Visitor Center.

I'll be posting more about my "Lincoln Weekend" in Washington in the coming days. Please come back for exhibit reviews and a review of a special performance about Lincoln held at the Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts.

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Two Days Worth Of Abe In "USA Today"

USA Today has featured articles about Honest Abe and the bicentennial of his birth in today's and yesterday's editions. I realize the paper is widely-read, but I thought I'd share with my readers in case anyone has missed them.

Today's USA Today has an article in its weekly travel section with suggestions for trips to Lincoln-related sites in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and of course Washington, D.C. The writer thoughtfully included some upcoming events in each location, along with a suggestion or two for sites which are infrequently visited by travelers. For example, the less-visited site suggested for Kentucky is Mary Todd Lincoln's childhood home in Lexington. She grew up in luxury while her husband of course spent most of his youth in abject poverty. While it's fitting and proper that these states and D.C. get a lot of attention, Lincoln's links to my own state of Ohio are often overlooked. I'll be posting about some of them in an upcoming post.

Yesterday's edition of the paper has a full-page article discussing noteworthy new books about Lincoln for both adults and children. The writer gives a great review for "A. Lincoln" by Ronald C. White, Jr." and for "They Have Killed Papa Dead" (yet another book about the assassination) by Anthony Pitch. There is also a section devoted to new Lincoln books for the kids. I was very happy to see the reporter mention "Lincoln And His Boys," a truly superb book which I reviewed in-depth here last August. The article in the paper shows one of the beautiful illustrations by P.J. Lynch from that book.

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Update: Pennsylvania Museum's Lincoln Flag From Ford's Theater

Back on April 7, 2008 I posted an article about a museum in Pennsylvania which owns one of the American flags which draped the presidential box at Ford's Theater the night Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The original post describes the flag, how it came into the possession of the Pike County (Pennsylvania) Historical Society, and how the flag was authenticated. The flag not only draped the box, but it was used for a time to cradle Lincoln's head as he lay mortally wounded in the theater.

I received an email yesterday from a reader who pointed out that I left out some pertinent information about the flag. Although I mentioned in the original post how the flag was authenticated, I neglected to mention that it was authenticated by Mr. Joseph Garrera, who serves as the president of the Lincoln Society in New York, New York. He is also the director of the Lehigh Valley Heritage Museum in Allentown, PA. Apologies to Mr. Garrera, but the original news article I saw about the flag didn't mention his name.

This link contains an older story about how the flag was lent to the now-defunct Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It has more details about the flag itself as well.

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A Lincoln Weekend In Washington

I returned home last night from what can truly be called "A Lincoln Weekend" spent in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the 4-day weekend, a Christmas gift from my wife Pinar, was to take in the sites and sounds of the celebrations going on in Washington as the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth rapidly approaches. It was a memorable weekend for me, one of the best mini-vacations I've ever taken.

We began the weekend by visiting Mr. Lincoln's Memorial, my favorite spot on Earth. I've been to Washington countless times, but I always make it a point to see the Memorial in order to take in the sheer beauty of the temple. I read The Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address inscribed on its walls. And I always take more than a few minutes to stare at the imposing statue of Lincoln. The sight never ceases to move me in a way I cannot put into words.

This weekend, though, there was far more to be seen related to Lincoln. The next stop was the Smithsonian National Museum Of American History in order to experience the exhibit Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life. The exhibit itself is extraordinary and I will be posting an in-depth review within the next day or two. It is not to be missed.

We took in more about President Lincoln the next day at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in order to see the exhibit One Life: The Mask Of Lincoln. This exhibit features very rare images and prints of Lincoln depicting important events in his life. I'll be posting a separate review about this exhibit as well. It is also not to be missed

On Monday evening, we delighted in an absolutely superb performance at The Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts. Our Lincoln featured a cast of 400 performers ranging from singers to musicians to dancers, combining to tell Abraham Lincoln's unique journey. The performance was simply stunning. I'll post a detailed review on this performance soon.

I had mentioned all of the goings on in Washington just briefly to my wife, who took it as an opportunity to give me such a beautiful weekend. My readers should know that she is not a history buff, so for her to do this for me was very special. Thank you, dear. It was a weekend I shall never forget.

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