File:Statues of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln Memorial (1922) (14591486689).jpg

Identifier: statuxxxxxxflinc (find matches)
Title: Statues of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln Memorial
Year: 1922 (1920s)
Authors: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Subjects: French, Daniel Chester, 1850-1931 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Presidents in art Presidents Marble sculpture, American Lincoln Memorial (Washington, D.C.) Large-scale sculpture
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Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: State of Indiana through the Indiana State Library

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nately, the Commissions inspection of this work-ing model did not prevent French and Bacon frommaking later changes. In the summer of 1916, Frenchbegan work on a seven-foot model, in which anatomi-cal accuracy, exact physical appearance, and sartorialcorrectness were achieved. The preparation of thislarge clay model was time-consuming, with much ofthe preliminary work performed by studio assistants.Once that was completed, French undertook the criti-cally important modeling in September, finishing hislabors—as inscribed on the left side of the base—onOctober 31, 1916. Apparently by this time French and Bacon hadagreed that the statue would be about 12 feet high andcast in bronze. Doubts persisted, however, and so aplan to eliminate these lingering reservations was de-vised. As Bacon later reported: ... Mr. French set upin the Memorial a plaster model of the statue ten feethigh, and we found it was too small; and after experi-menting with enlarged photos of the statue of varying 58
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Projects partners, sculptor French at left and Bacon,the architect, at statue before May 1922 dedication. sizes, it was determined that the statue should be nine-teen feet high, and that it would be best to have itcut in white marble. . . . The unusually large scale ofthe interior of the Lincoln Memorial becoming ap-parent as the building approaches completion showsthat a larger statue is necessary.... Only this pragmatic demonstration convinced thesculptor and architect of the statues required size.With the scale decided, the choice of material becamethe final artistic concern. In his first statement aboutthe memorial, in 1911, Bacon had conceived of thestatue in marble. But with Frenchs involvement inthe project, bronze had been considered. (In estimat-ing the costs of making the statue French assumed thata ten-foot seated statue in bronze placed in a marblechair would cost $18,000.) A 19-foot bronze statueeasily could have been cast, but its effect in the interiorspace apparently g

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