Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865, President of the United States

  • Creator: George W. Dury (1817-1894)
  • Title: Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865, President of the United States
  • Date: 1866
  • Description: Half-length formal portrait of President Lincoln in formal attire, sitting in red chair facing to his left.
  • Historical Note: The Reconstruction Legislature, also known as the Brownlow Legislature, commissioned this posthumous portrait of the former president as well as a full-length portrait of Gov. William G. Brownlow. Professional artists dependent upon wealthy patrons risked losing business as a result of partisan attitudes. Some left Tennessee, taking a stand by moving north or further south.Those who stayed carefully toed the line of neutrality, like painter-photographer George Dury, a German immigrant who had established a studio in Nashville by the early 1850s. Before and after the war, Dury took portrait commissions from those on both sides. While artist James Cameron left Tennessee and eventually the painting profession, and Christopher Haun's activism cost him his life, Dury and photographer Carl Giers survived the war and passed on their talents and businesses to their children.
  • Institution: The Reconstruction Legislature, also known as the Brownlow Legislature, commissioned this posthumous portrait of the former president as well as a full-length portrait of Gov. William G. Brownlow. Professional artists dependent upon wealthy patrons risked losing business as a result of partisan attitudes. Some left Tennessee, taking a stand by moving north or further south.Those who stayed carefully toed the line of neutrality, like painter-photographer George Dury, a German immigrant who had established a studio in Nashville by the early 1850s. Before and after the war, Dury took portrait commissions from those on both sides. While artist James Cameron left Tennessee and eventually the painting profession, and Christopher Haun's activism cost him his life, Dury and photographer Carl Giers survived the war and passed on their talents and businesses to their children.
  • Publisher: Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
  • Rights: Images reproduced on this website are intended for individual, educational use only. For research inquiries about specific objects or requests for high resolution images, contact the Tennessee State Museum.
  • URL: http://cdm15838.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/shades
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