Abraham Lincoln will always be remembered as one of our nation’s greatest Presidents. In the years since his tragic death many artists have sought to memorialize him, so in honor of Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) here is a look at a few artistic renderings. Larger than life Daniel Chester French, 1920? / Underwood & Underwood Studios, photographer. Forbes Watson papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. We all know that Lincoln was a tall man who wasn’t afraid to wear a tall hat, and this might explain why he is often portrayed as a towering giant. The introspective seated Lincoln... Continue reading

Sketch demonstrating the placement of the Giant three-way plug sculpture by Claes Oldenburg at the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio, ca. 1975. Ellen Hulda Johnson papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Roy Fox Lichtenstein letter to Ellen H. Johnson, 1963 Apr. 5. Ellen Hulda Johnson papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. William Wegman letter to Ellen H. Johnson, 1974 Apr. 19. Ellen Hulda Johnson papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Dear Ellen Johnson, I think you are the bee’s knees. We’ve never met, but you taught art history at my alma mater, Oberlin College, for... Continue reading