Abraham Lincoln by W.F.K. Travers
The National Portrait Gallery has installed a monumental life-size oil painting of President Abraham Lincoln by W.F.K. Travers, painted from life in 1865. The nine-foot-tall canvas is one of only three known life-size portraits of the sixteenth president and is on long-term loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, acquired by founder Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge in the 1930s. The work joins the permanent “America’s Presidents” exhibition, where it will be displayed alongside Gilbert Stuart’s Lansdowne portrait of George Washington—the two paintings were first shown together at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia. Rich in symbolic detail, the Travers portrait includes references to the Constitution and the Thirteenth Amendment, which Lincoln supported, and places a globe in the background positioned on Haiti, as Lincoln was the first U.S. president to recognize Haitian independence in 1862.
To complement the painting, a new tactile display debuts on February 7, 2027, offering an inclusive experience for blind visitors and those with low vision. The free-standing display features 3D-printed copies of Lincoln’s face and hands, based on life masks by Leonard Volk (1860) and Clark Mills (1865), positioned next to the original plaster casts from 1917. The tactile presentation includes object information in braille and audio content with guided descriptions and historical context.
When: February 10, 2027 through December 31, 2027.
Venue: National Portrait Gallery, Second Floor, South Galleries, part of the “America’s Presidents” exhibition.
Showtimes: The exhibition is on view during regular museum hours; check the museum’s website for current hours and any holiday closures.
Run time: Ongoing installation; no fixed run time for viewing.
Ages: All ages are welcome; the tactile display is specifically designed for blind and low-vision visitors.
Tickets: Admission is free; no tickets required for general entry. Special programs may require separate registration.
Note: The tactile display includes 3D-printed copies of one face mask and a set of two hands by Leonard Volk, plus one face mask by Clark Mills, with braille labels and audio descriptions. The painting is on loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, courtesy of the citizens of the Borough of Madison, New Jersey.