Portrait of Abraham Lincoln

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A crayon drawing of Abraham Lincoln, considered by many Lincoln scholars to be the first portrait of him, is owned by Memorial Hall Library. The portrait was made by Boston artist, Charles Alfred Barry, in June, 1860 when Lincoln had just been nominated as the Republican candidate for President. The portrait was commissioned by Massachusetts Governor, Nathaniel P. Banks and other prominent Republicans from the state.[1] A letter from Barry to Mary Todd Lincoln regarding his photographic proofs of the portrait is in the Library of Congress Abraham Lincoln Papers Collection.[2] The portrait was bequested to the library by George Henry Torr of Andover in 1915.[3] Barry eventually sold lithographic prints of the artwork.

In 1947, The Christian Science Monitor ran a feature article about the portrait including the assertion that the portrait was no longer in existence or lost. [4] Director of Memorial Hall Library, Miriam Putnam, recognized the portrait from the library's collection and wrote to the newspaper to identify the whereabouts of the artwork.[5]

In March 1947, Dana Soames, Charles A. Barry's grandson visited Memorial Hall Library. He brought a photograph of an oil painting that his grandfather made from the original drawing. He shared that Mr. Barry returned to Springfield, IL after his first visit and made subsequent studies of Mr. Lincoln based on the Civil War-era photographs of Matthew Brady. [6]

...Article on Lincoln Portrait in The Christian Science Monitor, February 12, 1947 Describing the "LOST" Original Lincoln Portrait.... click to enlarge


Page 1 of a Letter from Library Director Miriam Putnam to the Christian Science Monitor explainign that the Barry Portrait of President Lincoln was in the MHL Collection


Excerpt from pamphlet entitled: The Artist's Own Story of the Portrait and his Association with Lincoln

References

  1. ↑ [1] Beardless Portraits of Abraham Lincoln Painted from Life
  2. ↑ [2] Abraham Lincoln Papers Collection, Library of Congress
  3. ↑ [3] "Funds for Southern Schools George H. Torr of Andover Leaves Funds to Tuskegee, Utica and Berea", Boston Evening Transcript, January 14, 1915.
  4. ↑ [4] Reynolds, Horace, "Lincoln's First Portrait," Christian Science Monitor February 12, 1947.
  5. ↑ [5] Long-Sought First Portrait of Lincoln Found in Memorial Hall Library, Andover Townsman, March 6, 1947.
  6. ↑ Lincoln portrait inspected by artist's grandson, The Andover Townsman, March 24, 1947.
  • Andover File--Memorial Hall Library--Artworks--Lincoln Portrait
  • "The Artists Own Story of the Portrait And His Association With Lincoln Which Came To Light in 1911 Fifty-One Years After The Portriat Was The First One Taken From Life And Executed at Springfield, In June, 1860." (pamphlet in Andover Room files)

--Stephanie (talk) 10:24, 12 December 2023 (EST)
--Stephanie (talk) 21:53, 19 February 2023 (EST)
--Kim 09:57, June 2, 2014 (EDT)
--Glenda 14:19, November 22, 2006 (EST)

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