January 08, 2008
Library loans Lincoln portraits to Old State Capitol
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Visitors to the Old State Capitol in Springfield will soon get the chance to see two rare 19th century portraits of Abraham Lincoln, thanks to Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The University library is loaning the portraits by Alban Jasper Conant and Edward Dalton Marchant for display while an extensive renovation and expansion project continues at Morris Library. The portraits will be unveiled at a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the downtown Old State Capitol State Historic Site, at the intersection of Fifth and Adams streets.
There will be several speakers, including Wayne Temple, chief deputy director of the Illinois State Archives. Refreshments will follow. Morris Library at SIUC, the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency are partnering in the event.
"Morris Library's renovation gives the people of Illinois a unique opportunity to view two rare portraits – both by artists who knew and painted Lincoln from life – in an appropriate and historic setting," said David H. Carlson, dean of library affairs at SIUC.
Conant (1821-1915) painted the larger, smiling Lincoln portrait in 1865. Common belief is that he based the three-quarters-length view of the 16th president on a contemporary photograph. Marchant (1806-1887) painted the smaller portrait that bears resemblance to Marchant's landmark 1863 Union League of Philadelphia portrait and which may have served as a study for that painting. This painting's stretcher bar bears the inscription "Painted from life Marchant Phila." Marchant was a nationally recognized artist acclaimed for his portraits of famous Americans, including Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and Illinois Gov. Edward Coles.
The public can view the Lincoln depictions at the capitol location until January 2009. The Old State Capitol was the seat of the state's government from 1839 until 1876. For more information about the unveiling event or portrait display, contact the Old State Capitol State Historic Site at 217/558-8899.
For the past year, the historic Lincoln portraits have been on loan to the David Davis Mansion, a historic site in Bloomington named for the judge who built it.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Visitors to the Old State Capitol in Springfield will soon get the chance to see two rare 19th century portraits of Abraham Lincoln, thanks to Morris Library at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
The University library is loaning the portraits by Alban Jasper Conant and Edward Dalton Marchant for display while an extensive renovation and expansion project continues at Morris Library. The portraits will be unveiled at a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at the downtown Old State Capitol State Historic Site, at the intersection of Fifth and Adams streets.
There will be several speakers, including Wayne Temple, chief deputy director of the Illinois State Archives. Refreshments will follow. Morris Library at SIUC, the Illinois State Historical Society and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency are partnering in the event.
"Morris Library's renovation gives the people of Illinois a unique opportunity to view two rare portraits – both by artists who knew and painted Lincoln from life – in an appropriate and historic setting," said David H. Carlson, dean of library affairs at SIUC.
Conant (1821-1915) painted the larger, smiling Lincoln portrait in 1865. Common belief is that he based the three-quarters-length view of the 16th president on a contemporary photograph. Marchant (1806-1887) painted the smaller portrait that bears resemblance to Marchant's landmark 1863 Union League of Philadelphia portrait and which may have served as a study for that painting. This painting's stretcher bar bears the inscription "Painted from life Marchant Phila." Marchant was a nationally recognized artist acclaimed for his portraits of famous Americans, including Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams and Illinois Gov. Edward Coles.
The public can view the Lincoln depictions at the capitol location until January 2009. The Old State Capitol was the seat of the state's government from 1839 until 1876. For more information about the unveiling event or portrait display, contact the Old State Capitol State Historic Site at 217/558-8899.
For the past year, the historic Lincoln portraits have been on loan to the David Davis Mansion, a historic site in Bloomington named for the judge who built it.
