File:Statues of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln Memorial (1922) (14591859309).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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approximate the pose that Dan was after.The sculptor finally had an assistant make aplaster replica of his own hand in exactly thepose he wanted. A temporary model of thewhole composition was set up in the half-completed memorial in February, 1918. It was8 feet in height, and Mr. Frenchs verdict wasthat: It looked like a pygmy against its back-ground of Indiana limestone. Further experi-mentation was indicated. Photographs of theinterior of the memorial were made and onthose photographs figures 12, 14 and 18 feethigh were sketched. The ultimate decisionwas for a statue 19 feet in height on a pedestal11 feet high. A family of seven Italian marblecutters—father and six sons, Picclrilli byname—was entrusted with the business ofcarving the figure. It was cut in sectionsfrom 28 separate blocks of marble, and thesesections, some of them with curved surfaces,would not be fitted together until they weresent down to the memorial and put In place,one on top of another, like huge blocks with
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i i The Prophet as Mr. French saw him. which a child would build a house. The workwas carried to such a degree of perfectionthat unless one knew where to look for theseams one would hardly be able to find them.The whole thing weighed 175 tons. Mrs. Cresson tells how her father was to bepaid $88,000 for the completed statue, butthe expenses were staggering. The piccirilliswere given $46,000 for their carving of thefigure, $15,000 for the pedestal. As Dan addedit up, he would not have a very lavish remuner-ation for all these years of work, but that wasjust one of those things that one couldn tforesee. Eventually, the 28 blocks were assembled,and Mr. French came to Washington to inspectthe achievement. As he mounted the steps,he saw the head of the statue first. It hada strange and startled appearance. He hur-ried a little, with a new, wild pang of appre-hension at his heart. There was something-wrong. ... It never had looked like this inthe studio. The solar prints hadnt locked^e this.

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