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Abraham Lincoln
Giclee on Fine Art Paper on Paper
22 x 16.5
$75.00 Available
The 200th Anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12th, 2009. In observance, I am issuing only 200 of these quality signed and numbered prints on a first come, first serve basis. Please place your order either thru the website or feel free to call me at 814-676-5470.
I painted my portrait of Abraham Lincoln from a famous black and white photgraph by prominent Civil War Photographer Alexander Gardner. In my painting I added color but tried to keep Lincoln's expression virtually the same right down to his droopy eyelid. I did use artistic license by adding the golden pocket time piece to represent "the right man at the right time". The presidency took its toll on Abe and prematurely aged him beyond his years, he was only 56 when his life was cut short. He did, however, manage to succeed in keeping the union together and abolish slavery, but he paid a dear price in doing so.
Alexander Gardner was the last photographer to have President Lincoln to formally sit and it is reported to have taken place on or around February 5th, 1865...only a couple months before his death. This half-length portrait of Lincoln is one of the finest from that February studio session. The president sits comfortably in a sturdy chair, his left elbow resting on its arm, his right on his own slightly elevated knee. There is nothing in this portrait to indicate Lincoln's exalted position; we might just as well be looking at a humble country doctor. His clothing appears plain (though not unfashionable) and his loosely knotted bow tie has been left slightly askew. By this point in his public life, the president had sat for dozens of photographs, and he would have been mindful of the need to to hold perfectly still during the several minute it could take for an exposure. The flag was added to my portrait and had only 35 stars at the time of Lincoln's death. West Virginia had been the last state added at this particular time.
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