1. Creator/Author:
  2. Max Rosenthal (14)

Abraham Lincoln

Creator:
Max Rosenthal, James E. McClees
Location:
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia
Origin Date:
1908
Materials:
paper
Measurements:
overall: 31 15/16 in x 23 15/16 in
Item ID:
71.2009.081.1636
Holding Institution:
Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum
Available for Viewing:
No
Category:
Fine Art

Description

This engraving features a head and shoulders portrait of a beardless Abraham Lincoln done after a photograph taken of him in June, 1860, in Springfield, Illinois, Lincoln wears a black coat and vest with a white button-down collared shirt and black bow tie. The cord for his eyeglasses can be seen diagonally across Lincoln's chest. There is a great deal of shadow on Lincoln's face and shirt. A wreath of bay leaves surrounds the portrait with an American flag at the top with an eagle and shield, and a palm branch at the bottom. A partially unrolled document with the words "Emancipation Proclamation" is partially covered by palm branchs; a facsimile of Lincoln's signature is at the bottom of the paper. The wreath sits atop a mantle with "Abraham Lincoln" carved beneath it. A smaller wreath and patriotic shield anchor a ribbon with the quotation "With Malice Toward None WIth Charity For All" extending to both sides. The larger rectangular border outside of the portrait is made up of small shields representing each of the 36 states that were established at the time, with those of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, and New York slightly larger in size in the four corners. There is a drawing of what appears to be the 1860 Lincoln life mask under the print in the bottom left corner of the margin. The artist's handwritten signature in pencil is just below the bottom right corner of the image. "Painted and Etched by Max Rosenthal." appears in the bottom center. Publication information is printed just above the top left corner of the image. A faint handwritten note in pencil in the bottom left corner of the margin reads "One of the first six proofs which the artist returns before publishing. T. R." Part of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection, courtesy of the Indiana State Museum