Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State
Encyclopedia
Abraham Lincoln
: The Head of State (also called Seated Lincoln) is a bronze
statue in Grant Park
, in Chicago
. Created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
and completed by his work shop in 1908, it was intended by the artist to to evoke the loneliness and burden of command felt by Lincoln during his presidency. The sculpture depicts a contemplative Lincoln seated in a chair, and gazing down into the distance. The statue's head was used for the commemorative postage stamp issued on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The sculpture is set upon a pedestal
and a 150 foot wide exedra
designed by architect Stanford White
.
Although not as well known as Saint-Guadens' Standing Lincoln
(in Lincoln Park
), it does demonstrate the years of attention that the sculptor gave to capturing Lincoln in a most somber light. Prior to being installed in Grant Park in 1926, the sculpture was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City and at the San Francisco World's Fair in 1915.
The section of Grant Park, where this statue of Lincoln is located, was designated as the Court of Presidents in the plan for the park but, to date, this is the only such monument that has been erected.
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
: The Head of State (also called Seated Lincoln) is a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue in Grant Park
Grant Park (Chicago)
Grant Park, with between the downtown Chicago Loop and Lake Michigan, offers many different attractions in its large open space. The park is generally flat. It is also crossed by large boulevards and even a bed of sunken railroad tracks...
, in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
and completed by his work shop in 1908, it was intended by the artist to to evoke the loneliness and burden of command felt by Lincoln during his presidency. The sculpture depicts a contemplative Lincoln seated in a chair, and gazing down into the distance. The statue's head was used for the commemorative postage stamp issued on the 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. The sculpture is set upon a pedestal
Pedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
and a 150 foot wide exedra
Exedra
In architecture, an exedra is a semicircular recess or plinth, often crowned by a semi-dome, which is sometimes set into a building's facade. The original Greek sense was applied to a room that opened onto a stoa, ringed with curved high-backed stone benches, a suitable place for a philosophical...
designed by architect Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
.
Although not as well known as Saint-Guadens' Standing Lincoln
Standing Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln: The Man is a bronze statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Completed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1887, it has been described as the most important sculpture of Abraham Lincoln from the nineteenth century. Abraham Lincoln II, Lincoln's only grandson, was present at the unveiling...
(in Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is an urban park in Chicago, which gave its name to the Lincoln Park, Chicago community area.Lincoln Park may also refer to:-Urban parks:*Lincoln Park , California*Lincoln Park, San Francisco, California...
), it does demonstrate the years of attention that the sculptor gave to capturing Lincoln in a most somber light. Prior to being installed in Grant Park in 1926, the sculpture was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City and at the San Francisco World's Fair in 1915.
The section of Grant Park, where this statue of Lincoln is located, was designated as the Court of Presidents in the plan for the park but, to date, this is the only such monument that has been erected.