Abraham Lincoln by W.F.K. Travers

The National Portrait Gallery presents W.F.K. Travers’ life-size portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, painted from life in 1865. Standing nine feet tall, the oil-on-canvas work is one of only three known life-size paintings of the 16th president. It is displayed in the “America’s Presidents” exhibition and is on long-term loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, courtesy of the citizens of Madison, New Jersey.

The painting’s history connects it to Washington and to the nation’s political past. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge acquired it from her family in the 1930s, and Congress considered purchasing it for the U.S. Capitol several times in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Portrait Gallery’s presentation reunites it with Gilbert Stuart’s *Lansdowne* portrait of George Washington, approximately 147 years after the two works were shown together at Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Symbolic details in the painting include the Constitution, a reference to the Thirteenth Amendment supported by Lincoln, and a globe oriented toward Haiti, reflecting Lincoln’s recognition of Haiti as an independent nation in 1862.

When: February 10, 2023–December 31, 2027

Location: Second Floor, South Galleries

Venue: National Portrait Gallery

Artist: W.F.K. Travers

Work: *Abraham Lincoln*, 1865

Medium: Oil on canvas

Subject: President Abraham Lincoln

Loan: Long-term loan from the Hartley Dodge Foundation, courtesy of the citizens of the Borough of Madison, New Jersey

Exhibition: “America’s Presidents”

Accessibility: Beginning February 7, 2023, a related tactile display presents 3D-printed copies of a Leonard Volk face mask and a set of his casts of Lincoln’s hands, along with a Clark Mills face mask. Braille object information and audio content with guided descriptions and additional historical context are provided for blind visitors and visitors with low vision, as well as for the benefit of all visitors.

Tickets: Price not available