This sculpture of Abraham Lincoln graces the outside of Christ Church in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It is one of many sculptures of famous persons that are featured on the building's exterior. The sculptor of the Lincoln image is thought to be Lee Lawrie. He studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It's obviously a great work of art. My questions are: Do you think Lincoln would have appreciated that his image was placed on a church? How does it strike you? What also comes to my mind in viewing this item is the whole glorification of Lincoln into "sainthood." Your thoughts?

(09-06-2012 04:19 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  

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This sculpture of Abraham Lincoln graces the outside of Christ Church in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It is one of many sculptures of famous persons that are featured on the building's exterior. The sculptor of the Lincoln image is thought to be Lee Lawrie. He studied under Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It's obviously a great work of art. My questions are: Do you think Lincoln would have appreciated that his image was placed on a church? How does it strike you? What also comes to my mind in viewing this item is the whole glorification of Lincoln into "sainthood." Your thoughts?

is'nt that how history depicts him though? Some sort of revered and saintly character? I mean, that statue you guys have of him in the Lincoln Memorial? It's like iconised him, elevated him to some sort of God like proportions?

Absolutely, Maddie. For a very interesting read, I recommend: Abraham Lincoln In The Post-Heroic Era. Also, the book Lincoln In American Memory by Merrill D. Peterson. Both books look at how Lincoln has been viewed by the generations after him. Even statues say something about what is thought of Lincoln. I have found some extremes in how sculptors portray him-whether it be a divine-like figure adorning the outside of a church-or the gigantic Lincoln of the Lincoln Memorial-or the sitting and inviting Lincoln of the statue by Gutzon Borglum in Newark, New Jersey- they all say something about what people think of him.

(09-06-2012 05:54 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Absolutely, Maddie. For a very interesting read, I recommend: Abraham Lincoln In The Post-Heroic Era. Also, the book Lincoln In American Memory by Merrill D. Peterson. Both books look at how Lincoln has been viewed by the generations after him. Even statues say something about what is thought of Lincoln. I have found some extremes in how sculptors portray him-whether it be a divine-like figure adorning the outside of a church-or the gigantic Lincoln of the Lincoln Memorial-or the sitting and inviting Lincoln of the statue by Gutzon Borglum in Newark, New Jersey- they all say something about what people think of him.

is it deserved though?

My personal opinion is "no." Lincoln was a man. I think he would have been appalled by the "worship" of him.

To say whether or not Lincoln "deserved" such honors is, I believe, to miss the point. That is a very subjective decision and both sides of the coin could make a strong argument in their favor. People today forget exactly what was at stake during this time. Had the union disintegrated, it would have proven that people were unable to govern themselves, a point often made by the older regimes in Europe. Lincoln was well aware of this, and I think it colored his perspective. When the Southern states finally decided to secede, Lincoln had no choice but to try and bring them back. After using his powers as commander in chief to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, it became a whole new ball game, which he noted as "a new birth of freedom." America, and the world, changed immeasurably after the war. It was very likely that in remembering all that, Lincoln would be deified. As we move further and further away from the time, we look at it differently then those who lived it. I can see that in Ida M. Tarbell's papers. Letters written to her about her series and her books, especially from people who knew Lincoln, are filled with emotion that came from their nearness to the events.

Would Lincoln have liked it? Probably not, but the sense of martyrdom with the assassination happening near Easter, and Lincoln's success in holding the union together and setting slaves on the road to freedom made it inevitable.

Best
Rob

When Lincoln went to Charleston at the end of the war, freed slaves kneeled before him and he told them to get up. He didn't want to be treated as a prophet or saint.

What I love best about Lincoln is his funny side, his goofy side, which was so much part of his personality. Statues, including the Lincoln Memorial, rarely capture that side of him.

No one mentioned, by the way, that the sculpture of Lincoln features him as beardless! Yet, the piece is portraying President Lincoln.

(09-08-2012 09:44 AM)LincolnMan Wrote:  No one mentioned, by the way, that the sculpture of Lincoln features him as beardless! Yet, the piece is portraying President Lincoln.

Do you know how hard it is to sculpt a beard out of concrete. Those hairs cost money!

Best
Rob

That must be true! I'm not sure why the artist really chose a beardless President Lincoln. Oh, well.

I thought he visited Richmond, not Charleston

Hess1865 You are right, I stand corrected. Lincoln went to Richmond, not Charleston.

I started a thread on this Discussion Board about Lincoln's Richmond visit. It mentions that according one observer he walked into the city alone....

I don't think Lincoln would have liked it. Scary and odd to be depicted as a saint. He was too humble. I believe he would have disapproved the statue. Anyway, as you have already pointed out: it was done for posterity and reflects a certain conception of history.