Thursday, July 4, 2013

Abraham Lincoln Relief Sculptures


 

The  postcard above shows the various places Abraham Lincoln lived between his 1809 birth in Kentucky and his death in 1865. I am showing this card to give a context for the places depicted on the postcards of the relief sculptures below.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He led the United States through its greatest constitutional, military, and moral crisis—the American Civil War—preserving the Union, abolishing slavery, strengthening the national government and modernizing the economy. (source: Wikipedia) 

Lincoln was born to  a poor family in Kentucky in 1809. He lived in Kentucky with his family until 1816. The next postcard shows one of the five bas-relief stone panels depicting major periods of Lincoln's life at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana. This panel represents Lincoln's years in the state of Kentucky..




The next postcard shows the Lincoln Monument near Vincennes, Indiana. This monument depicts the Lincoln family moving from Indiana to Illinois in 1830 when Lincoln was 21 years old.




The last postcard shows the Lincoln-Douglas Memorial in Quincy, Illinois. This plaque marks the site of  the sixth debate between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln 1858. The Lincoln–Douglas Debates of 1858 were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Illinois, and Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. The main issue discussed in all seven debates was slavery.




The texts of the debates were published in newspapers throughout the country. After Lincoln lost that Senate election, the debates were published in book form. The widespread coverage of the original debates and the  popularity of the book eventually led to Lincoln's nomination for President of the United States at the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago. Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election and was re-elected in 1864.


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19 comments:

  1. I love that mix of bronze and stone in the Vincennes, Indiana monument.

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  2. Kids always learn about Lincoln growing up in a log cabin. I didn't realize there were 4 of them.

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  3. Very Apt For The 4th of July and right-on Theme!Not many log cabins in Political Circles these days!

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  4. Ah Lincoln! We were required to memorize his Gettysburg Address in 4th year high school English.

    Hazel

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  5. Had to look up Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham - a fascinating character!

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  6. I had absolutely no idea these things existed! Amazing!

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  7. I like the Vincennes monument best, not just because of the mix of stone and bronze, but the central character seems so much more down to earth.

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  8. I always get annoyed by statements such as Douglas where people only include white men, but good choice of bas reliefs for the prompt.

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  9. Maybe the neighbor in the first monument s my ancestor. They really were neighbors in Kentucky and left for Indiana at about the same time -after Lincoln's father and my ancestor and a couple of other fellows were all parties in a land dispute. They were apparently deceived into land purchases by someone who was not a legitimate seller.

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  10. Thanks for introducing me to these monuments, none of which I had seen before. I really must learn mord about the man.

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  11. My knowledge of Lincoln is very small, but these memorials are amazing.

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  12. Wonderful examples of tributes to Lincoln and all new to me. There is a statue of LIncoln in Edinburgh on Carleton Hill which I have seen on the web - and must try to find and photograph when on a visit to the city. .

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    1. I have a postcard of that statue here:
      http://www.postcardy.com/lincoln3.html

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  13. These are great! Very informative post, I learned a lot. Thank you.

    Kathy M.

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  14. I am proud to say that I have been to many of Abe's houses, statues, just about any and everything connected to him! I would some day, (maybe) like to see in real life the Ford Theater where he was shot.

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  15. An inspired choice of appropriate postcards. It makes me wonder how frequent the bas-relief style is used in contemporary monuments. The effect is very much an old fashioned method of presenting a sculptural story that modern viewers might find too busy and overly symbolic.

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  16. I've been to one of the log cabins, but don't remember which one. I was probably about 5 or 6 at the time. But I remember being very impressed that one of our Presidents had grown up in one. It still amazes me.
    Nancy

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  17. I'm wondering if these are all along the Lincoln Highway. I do remember one statue out in the middle of nowhere long ago. I saw a photo of it recently and it is no longer out in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere has move in next to it.

    Love that first card. I would have especially loved it as a child, tracing my finger over the roads over and over again.

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  18. What a timely post and most befitting with the prompt.
    :)~
    HUGZ

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