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Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State

1908 sculpturesBronze sculptures in IllinoisMonuments and memorials to Abraham Lincoln in the United StatesOutdoor sculptures in ChicagoSculptures by Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Sculptures of men in IllinoisStatues in ChicagoStatues of Abraham Lincoln
Sitting Lincoln
Sitting Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State (also called Seated Lincoln or Sitting Lincoln) is a 9-foot (2.7 m) tall bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln in Grant Park, in Chicago. Created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and completed by his workshop in 1908, it was intended by the artist to evoke the loneliness and burden of command felt by Lincoln during his presidency. The sculpture depicts a contemplative Lincoln seated in a chair, and gazing down into the distance. The sculpture is set upon a pedestal and a 150-foot (46 m) wide exedra designed by architect Stanford White.Although not as well known as Saint-Gaudens' Standing Lincoln (in Lincoln Park), it does demonstrate the years of attention that the sculptor gave to capturing Lincoln in a most somber light. Prior to being installed in Grant Park in 1926, the sculpture was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and at the San Francisco World's Fair in 1915. The section of Grant Park, where this statue of Lincoln is located, was designated as the Court of Presidents in the plan for the park but, to date, this is the only such monument that has been erected.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Abraham Lincoln: The Head of State
McCormick Place Busway, Chicago Loop

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N 41.877288888889 ° E -87.621519444444 °
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Abraham Lincoln (Seated Lincoln)

McCormick Place Busway
60605 Chicago, Loop
Illinois, United States
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Sitting Lincoln
Sitting Lincoln
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Fountain of the Great Lakes
Fountain of the Great Lakes

Fountain of the Great Lakes, or Spirit of the Great Lakes Fountain, is an allegorical sculpture and fountain by Lorado Taft. A bronze work of art, created between 1907 and 1913, the fountain depicts five women arranged so that the water flows in a way that seeks to recall the waterflow through the five Great Lakes of North America. In the Great Lakes, the waterflow begins in Lake Superior at 600 feet (180 m) above sea level and continues eastward through each lake until it reaches Lake Ontario. The Fountain is one of Taft's best known works. It is located in the public South McCormick Memorial Court of the Art Institute of Chicago, in the Chicago Loop. The fountain was originally installed facing south where it remained until 1963, when it was moved next to the Morton Wing addition facing west. In its original location it was visible from the Jackson and Michigan Avenue intersection once known as "route center" to the south. The fountain was commissioned by the Benjamin Ferguson fund and one surface references the title B. F. Ferguson Fountain of the Great Lakes. There is a relief sculpture of Benjamin Ferguson on the rear panel that has been hidden from view since the fountain was moved.As the first commission from the Ferguson Fund, it experienced various funding delays. Additionally, the legal environment for land use in Grant Park was in flux at the time the commission was made, which caused delays in location selection. Once erected, the fountain received largely positive reviews, but a few critics questioned symbolism of the sculpture. Others were caught up in sociopolitical subtexts of the day, with regard to obscenity laws as it related to public art and this semi-nude work.