Emancipation Proclamation on Display at Fairfield [CT] Museum and History Center

[Linda Anderson]

The exhibition is "the only exhibition in New England to display a Lincoln-signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, an original 13th Amendment copy, as well as other fascinating documents, paintings and artifacts that narrate this decisive moment in the quest for human freedom."

http://www.fairfieldhistory.org/exhibiti...ncipation/

The exhibition runs through February 24, 2013.

From Fairfield Living Magazine: http://www.fairfieldlivingmag.com/f/Sept...ever-Free/

"The Fairfield Museum and History Center is commemorating the sesquicentennial of Lincoln’s historic document with an exhibition and series of school programs, called the Promise of Freedom: The Emancipation Proclamation. The highlight is, of course, a rare copy of the 150-year-old document, signed by President Lincoln, one of only about twenty that have survived—one of the two written by Lincoln’s own hand perished in the infamous Chicago fire of 1871. Copies of the executive order are as valuable as they are rare: In June, a copy sold at a New York auction for more than $2 million. That’s the second-highest price ever paid for a proclamation signed by Lincoln—a copy owned by the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy fetched $3.8 million two years ago.

Aside from showcasing the proclamation itself, the Fairfield exhibition features arresting illustrations, including a Currier & Ives print depicting President Lincoln, one hand raised in the air, the other, being kissed by a slave bowing humbly before him. Other images, the political commentary of their day, portray Honest Abe as the devil incarnate. One drawing shows Lincoln removing a mask to reveal a horned visage; another depicts Lincoln at his desk, atop which sits an inkwell in the shape of Lucifer.

'We have a range of prints from the time that really reflect the division of public opinion—the ones that vilify Lincoln as this agent of the devil who’s taking the country down a path of ruin, and other prints that celebrate Lincoln as this great person who freed the slaves,' says Michael Jehle, the museum’s executive director. The exhibition, he says, shows 'how vehement and passionate the debate was and how that was reflected in art.'"

[LincolnMan]

The exhibition sounds absolutely wonderful! I wonder if it will draw large numbers. Last year people stood in line for hours to merely view a copy of the EP with actual signature of Lincoln in Dearborn, Michigan.

[Linda Anderson]

(11-12-2012 02:43 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  The exhibition sounds absolutely wonderful! I wonder if it will draw large numbers. Last year people stood in line for hours to merely view a copy of the EP with actual signature of Lincoln in Dearborn, Michigan.

The exhibition is running for 5 months so there may not be a long wait. The Museum is close to the beach area that was devastated by Hurricane Sandy but luckily it was not damaged or flooded. I wonder if they kept the Emancipation Proclamation there during the storm or moved it to a safer place.