News From The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

[RJNorton]

From the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum:

Abraham Lincoln's Stovepipe Hat
Currently on Display

Nothing brings the image of Abraham Lincoln to mind better than his iconic stovepipe hat. And nothing sums up Lincoln’s beliefs better than a scrap of paper he may have stored in that battered hat. “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy,” the piece of paper says.

Now, just in time for Lincoln’s birthday, both the hat and the note on democracy are on display in the Treasures Gallery here at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and will remain on display about six months.

The two new items join a signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s order freeing slaves in rebel states during the Civil War. The proclamation turned 150 years old on Jan. 1.

The beaver-fur hat has two bare patches on its brim where Lincoln’s fingers wore it out as he continually doffed it to passersby.

As he traveled from courthouse to courthouse on the Illinois prairie, Lincoln needed to stay warm and protect his legal papers. “Solving both problems, Lincoln kept his head warm and dry under this beaver-fur stovepipe hat, and he tucked his letters inside the hatband. It was his ‘office in his hat,’ according to a fellow attorney, and everyone on the circuit knew this amusing characteristic of Lincoln,” said ALPLM Lincoln Curator James Cornelius.

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Mary and Myra

Thursday, January 31, 6:00 p.m.
The Casino, 195 E. Delaware, Chicago , IL

One was the most famous widows in America. The other was a woman who battled discrimination to become a lawyer. They made history when former first lady Mary Lincoln was committed to an asylum and Myra Bradwell worked tirelessly to get her out.

The incident comes to life Thursday, Jan. 31, when scenes from the play “Mary and Myra” will be read at The Casino, 195 E. Delaware, Chicago. The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m. The reading of the play starts at 6 o’clock.

Tickets are $50. They can be obtained in advance by contacting Monique Austin at wbai@wbaillinois.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door with a check or cash.

“This was a fascinating moment in American history, revolving around two complex women and a host of legal and social issues,” said Eileen Mackevich, director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, which is co-sponsoring the event. “We’re proud to help put it back in the public spotlight.”

“The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois is honored to partner with the Chicago Bar Association Alliance For Women, the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum to present ‘Mary and Myra,’ a play which involves issues such as the power of the media, mental health and the justice system and challenges faced by female lawyers, all of which remain relevant in today’s society,” said Deane B. Brown, immediate past president of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois and chair of the Mary and Myra event.

The reading features Susan Jeffers, a veteran of productions such as “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “The Lion in Winter,” as Mary Lincoln. Myra Bradwell is portrayed by Aasne Vigesaa, who has appeared in “As You Like It,” “A Doll’s House” and her own one-woman show “The Yellow Wallpaper.”

“Mary and Myra” was written by Catherine Filloux, author of more than 20 plays.