It represents Abraham Lincoln as the great war President, with mental and physical strength and confidence in his ability to bring the Nation safely through the great conflict.
President Lincoln is seated in a great armchair 12¹⁄₂ feet high, over the back of which a flag has been draped. The figure of Lincoln is 19 feet high from the top of his head to the sole of his boot. The head measures 3 feet in height. The boot is 3¹⁄₂ feet long, and from the boot to the kneecap the distance is 8 feet. The pedestal, which is 18 feet 2 inches wide and 19 feet deep, rests on a marble platform 34¹⁄₂ feet wide and 28 feet deep. The statue weighs 150 tons; with its pedestal and base it rises to a height of 30 feet; and without the pedestal it is 21 feet in height.
The statue is of Georgia marble, was cut by Piccirilli Bros., marble-cutters, of New York City, and four years were required for its completion. The pedestal and base are of Tennessee marble.
Over the head of Lincoln is the inscription—
IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER
The interior is lighted through translucent panels of marble and by the great front opening. Recently a special system of lighting was installed.
DECORATIONS
The two decorations by Jules Guerin representing Emancipation and Reunion are painted on canvas. Each canvas weighs 600 pounds and is 60 feet long and 18 feet wide. The figures, of which there are 46 in the two panels, are 8¹⁄₂ feet high and were painted by the artist without assistance. Almost as many models as figures were used. The head of Mr. Bacon, the architect, appears in the decoration on the north wall, being the fourth figure in the group at the left of the angel.
The decorations are absolutely weatherproof, the paint being mixed with white wax and kerosene. The wax hardens but does not allow the paint to crack. Chemically it is similar to the wax, still pliable, which was found in the tombs of the Kings of Egypt. The decorations are affixed to the wall with a mixture of white lead and Venetian varnish.
