Did Vinnie Ream visit the White House daily for 5 months?

[Linda Anderson]

Vinnie Ream's biographer, Glenn V. Sherwood, commented in the U.S. Capital History Society post I mentioned in Post #40.

"Vinnie Ream knew many prominent men, but most of them did not want to be linked to her to avoid scandal. This may be why information is obscure on her modeling well-known men. She had two signed photographs that some think Lincoln gave her to aid the modeling work. And some thought the life mask of Lincoln by Clark Mills was also made to aid Vinnie Ream’s work."

I found another article on Ream from The State Historical Society of Missouri.

"While in Washington, Ream reestablished contact with James S. Rollins, who was now a U.S. Congressman. Rollins remembered Vinnie’s desire to become a sculptor, and he took her to visit Clark Mills, one of the country’s most prominent sculptors. Mills offered Ream the opportunity to work in his studio."

The resources include an article with the odd title “A Homely Woman’s Opinion of a Pretty One.” Liberty Tribune. September 14, 1866, p. 1.

I couldn't find the article in GenBank or Chronicling America but the Liberty Tribune Archives are available for a free 7 day trial subscription.

http://shsmo.org/historicmissourians/name/r/ream/

Also, the papers of James S. Rollins might have more information. Correspondence from Ream is included in eight folders.

http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/columbia/1026.pdf