Lincoln A rediscovered painting is a rare and powerful portrait of Lincoln's full stature

A recently-restored life-size portrait of Abraham Lincoln is one of only a few paintings from life that show him standing. It hangs--nearly forgotten--in a town hall in New Jersey. Historian Ted Widmer, who considers it the best of the three standing Lincoln portraits he knows of, writes in The Washington Post of seeing the portrait for the first time and recounts its creation and intriguing history: "A rare painting of Lincoln restores the emancipator to his full height."

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Walt Whitman wrote that Lincoln had a face "like a Hoosier Michelangelo, so awful ugly it becomes beautiful,"

Great stuff- thanks for sharing!

My takeaway - contemporary accounts speak of the kindness in Lincoln's eyes. That is what I see here. Hoping this portrait is placed somewhere it can have a wider audience!

Reconstructed Rebel said:

My takeaway - contemporary accounts speak of the kindness in Lincoln's eyes. That is what I see here. Hoping this portrait is placed somewhere it can have a wider audience!

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Yes, he has a wonderfully kind expression in this portrait. Maybe that's why his friend Ward Hill Lamon praised it as the most true-to-life of Lincoln's painted portraits. Besides the kindness in Lincoln's eyes, this painting also shows another of his distinctive physical features, his long legs. Since he is wearing a short suit coat, his legs appear to have been disproportionately long compared to his upper body. According to his law partner William Herndon, when Lincoln was seated, he sat no taller than the average man. But because his legs were so long, when he stood, he "loomed above" other men.

I just spent an evening with Mr. Lincoln and his delightful wife. I think he would number this portrait among his favorites.

The Washington Post newspaper reports that the National Portrait Gallery will unveil its new display of the Travers portrait of Lincoln today. The painting will be on loan to the Smithsonian portrait gallery for five years. Lincoln's friend Ward Hill Lamon reportedly called it the "most lifelike" portrait of Lincoln he had seen. Mary Lincoln is said to have fainted when she encountered it at a Philadelphia exposition in 1876.

"'Most lifelike' Lincoln portrait on display after years in obscurity"

LoyaltyOfDogs said:

The Washington Post newspaper reports that the National Portrait Gallery will unveil its new display of the Travers portrait of Lincoln today. The painting will be on loan to the Smithsonian portrait gallery for five years. Lincoln's friend Ward Hill Lamon reportedly called it the "most lifelike" portrait of Lincoln he had seen. Mary Lincoln is said to have fainted when she encountered it at a Philadelphia exposition in 1876.

"'Most lifelike' Lincoln portrait on display after years in obscurity"

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That is behind a paywall..