Lincoln Statue by Ream

Located in the Rotunda, this marble statue was dedicated on January 25, 1871, nearly six years after Lincoln died. While President Ulysses S. Grant and many other dignitaries looked on, David Davis, Lincoln's long-time friend from Illinois, had the honor of officially unveiling it.

Sculptor Vinnie Ream was a teenager when she began preliminary sketches of Lincoln during the last five months of his life. Representative James Collins of Missouri gained White House access for her after he told Lincoln that she was poor. She became the first woman to receive a commission from Congress to create a statue for the Rotunda. To accurately render the statue's garments, she borrowed the clothes Lincoln wore the night of his assassination.

<Click on picture to continue.