“Abraham Lincoln”
I recently just learned about this artist and am excited to share her with you today. At the time, she was the first woman and youngest candidate to have received a federal art commission from the United States Congress.
This memorial Carrara marble statue of “Abraham Lincoln” was created by the American portrait artist, Vinnie Ream, in 1871. In this sculpture, Lincoln is depicted in the final outfit that he wore to the Ford Theater the night he was assassinated in 1865.
In his right hand, Lincoln is holding the Emancipation Proclamation. His right foot is protruding slightly over the front of the base. The base itself, part of the same marble, depicts Abraham Lincoln’s name on the front, and the artist’s name on the side. In 1877, the statue was placed on top of a red granite base, on which is still sits to this day.
At 17 years of age, Ream became an apprentice to Clark Mills, an American sculptor who had a studio in D.C. While an apprentice, Ream created busts of several Congressmen. In 1864, she was commissioned by the Congress to make a bust of President Abraham Lincoln from life. Lincoln sat for her almost daily for half-hour segments in the mornings for 5 months as she constructed her clay bust. Lincoln was assassinated the following year.
In 1866, when she was 18 years old, the Congress voted to commission Ream to construct a full-size statue of Abraham Lincoln as a memorial for $10,000. $5,000 once the model was approved, and an additional $5,000 after the final statue was completed. To apply for the job, Ream submitted the bust she had made of Lincoln from life in 1864. Her noted fame, youthful age, and friendships with some members of Congress made her a questionable candidate, but she won the commission in the end. At the time, she was the first woman and youngest candidate to have received a commission from Congress.
First, Ream constructed a full-size model of Lincoln in plaster. After the model was approved by Congress, in 1869 she took the model overseas to Rome. At the time, it was common practice for the initial sculpted models of statues to be carved in their final form by master stone workers and Ream was following the same process.
However, in Rome, she faced another scandal. There were rumors going around Rome that the real artistry of the Lincoln sculpture was done by the Italian sculptors, and not by Ream, but this issue resolved itself with time. After six months, the final statue was completed. In 1870, Ream brought the statue back to the United States. It was publicly unveiled in 1871 in the Capitol Rotunda, where it is still exhibited to this day.
“Abraham Lincoln” is currently on display at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. in the United States.
For more on Vinnie Ream, please visit her short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
