Abraham Lincoln
Artist
Henry Wolf
(American, 1852 - 1916)
Date1912
MediumWood engraving
DimensionsOverall: 8 1/4 × 6 13/16 inches (20.96 × 17.32 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number32-74/21
On View
Not on viewCollections
Gallery Label
Henry Wolf based his
dignified wood engraving of Abraham Lincoln on Mathew Brady’s 1863 photograph
hanging nearby. Wolf reinterpreted Brady’s widely known images to represent
Lincoln as a secular saint. Nearly 50 years after the Emancipation Proclamation
was issued, Lincoln came to symbolize freedom for the oppressed. Portraits of
Lincoln were regularly seen in periodicals asking, “What would Lincoln say?”
about issues ranging from American race relations to World War I.
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
