File:Statues of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln Memorial (1922) (14755154406).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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efor another assassinated President, John F. Kennedy. 60 lighting of the statue is tolerably good at some timesof the day, it at no time brings out the expression ofthe face as it ought to. The ideal lighting for mostsculpture is from above at an angle of forty-five de-grees, more or less. I had hoped that the light from thesky-light would be sufficient to overcome to some de-gree the light that comes in at the opening in front,but it fails to do this even in the afternoon when nosunlight enters the building. An experiment with electric lights was made inJanuary 1922. The results were disappointing. Todemonstrate how severely the lighting affected thestatues appearance, French had a composite photo-graph (left) made, explaining that the two versionsof the face showed one in the light that it receivesunder the worst conditions in the Memorial, the otheras I feel it ought to be lighted. By the time the Memorial was dedicated on May 30,1922, the Abraham Lincoln was not yet satisfactorily
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displayed. Two years after the dedication, French wasstill concerned about properly lighting his statue. Hewrote to Charles Moore, then head of the Fine ArtsCommission: What would you think of the idea oflighting the interior of the Lincoln Memorial atnight? ... It seems to me that it would be a popularmove. The Memorial would have an added interest asseen from a distance, and I think that it would bevisited by a great many people in the evening. Not until February 1925 did French receive assur-ances that he might see his statue correctly lighted,when a plan was prepared by the General ElectricCompany. Congress did not provide money for thelighting system until September 1926. French re-ported to a friend, George S. Keyes, the followingMarch, I had not had much faith that artificial light-ing would solve the problem, but it seems to havedone so very effectively, and I am very happy. Frenchs seated Abraham Lincoln was for him the paramount achievement of his long and productivecareer,

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