Freedmen's Memorial to Abraham Lincoln (Washington, DC)
Dublin Core
Title
Freedmen's Memorial to Abraham Lincoln (Washington, DC)
Subject
Subject (Topic)
Emancipation Proclamation--United States
Enslaved persons--Emancipation
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Washington (D. C.)
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Washington (D. C.)
Emancipation Proclamation--United States
Enslaved persons--Emancipation
Public art
Public sculpture
Slavery--Washington (D. C.)
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Washington (D. C.)
Subject (Name)
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Subject (Object Type)
Commemorative sculpture
Commemorative sculpture
Description
The sculptor Thomas Ball’s composition includes two figures, one fully clothed, the other semi-nude. Due to the dozens of photographs that survive from the 1860s, we recognize that the standing bearded man is Abraham Lincoln. Dressed in a shirt with tie, a long coat, and trousers, Lincoln stands upright with most of his weight on one leg, in "contrapposto." Clothing and posture civilize Lincoln, marking his intelligence and morality. The kneeling man, a newly emancipated enslaved person, is semi-nude. The only article of clothing that he wears is a piece of cloth draped from his waist to the edge of his buttocks. The sinewy muscles are clearly delineated in the man’s arms, legs, and abdominal muscles. Modeled with short curly hair, the former slave is also shown with a distinctive broad nose, signifying his African ancestry.
Creator
Ball, Thomas, 1819-1911
Source
Photograph by Renée Ater
Date
April 14, 1876
Contributor
Charlotte Scott (donor); Emancipated Citizens of the United States (donors); Western Sanitary Commission of St. Louis: James E. Yeatman, President; Carlos S. Greeley, Treasurer; George Partridge; Dr. J. B. Johnson; Reverend William Greenleaf Eliot.
Rights
National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20240, United States
Format
JPEG
Language
English
Type
Visual Arts- Sculpture
Coverage
Lincoln Park, East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC, 20003, United States
Has Part
Plaque on front of memorial:
Freedom's Memorial
In grateful memory of Abraham Lincoln.
This monument was erected by the Western Sanitary Commission of Saint Louis, Mo., with funds contributed solely by emancipated Citizens of the United States declared free by his Proclamation, January 1st A.D. 1863. The first contribution of five dollars was made by Charlotte Scott, a freed woman of Virginia, being her first earnings in freedom and consecrated by her suggestion and request, on the day she heard of President Lincoln’s death, to build a monument to his memory.
Freedom's Memorial
In grateful memory of Abraham Lincoln.
This monument was erected by the Western Sanitary Commission of Saint Louis, Mo., with funds contributed solely by emancipated Citizens of the United States declared free by his Proclamation, January 1st A.D. 1863. The first contribution of five dollars was made by Charlotte Scott, a freed woman of Virginia, being her first earnings in freedom and consecrated by her suggestion and request, on the day she heard of President Lincoln’s death, to build a monument to his memory.
Plaque on back of memorial:
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God. — A. Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation, Jan 1, 1863.
Western Sanitary Commission
James E. Yeatman, President. C. S. Greeley, Treas. Geo. Partridge, Dr. J. B. Johnson, Wm. C. Eliot.
Extent
108 in. (275 cm)
Medium
Bronze; Granite
Bibliographic Citation
Ater, Renée. "On the Removal of Statues: Freedmen's Memorial to Abraham Lincoln." On Monuments Blog, July 1, 2020. https://www.reneeater.com/on-monuments-blog/2020/7/1/on-the-removal-of-statues-freedmens-memorial-to-abraham-lincoln.
White, Jonathan W. and Scott Sandage. "What Frederick Douglass Had To Say About Monuments." Smithsonian Magazine, June 20, 2020. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-frederick-douglass-had-say-about-monuments-180975225/.
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Sculpture
Physical Dimensions
108 in. (275 cm)
Collection
Citation
Ball, Thomas, 1819-1911, “Freedmen's Memorial to Abraham Lincoln (Washington, DC),” Contemporary Monuments to the Slave Past, accessed October 1, 2026, https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1223.