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Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln

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Further information: Memorials to Abraham Lincoln

Since his death in 1865, Abraham Lincoln has been an iconic American figure depicted, usually favorably or heroically, in many forms. Lincoln has often been portrayed by Hollywood, almost always in a flattering light.[1][2] He has been depicted in a wide range of forms including alternative timelines, animation, documentary, small cameos, and fictionalized interpretations.

The Apotheosis of Abraham Lincoln, greeted by George Washington in heaven, who is holding a laurel wreath (an 1860s work, post-assassination)

Statues

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Statues of Abraham Lincoln can be found in the United States and in other countries. In Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, is a 13-foot (4 m) high bronze statue, a gift from the United States, dedicated in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The U.S. received a statue of Benito Juárez in exchange, which is in Washington, D.C. Juárez and Lincoln exchanged friendly letters during the American Civil War. Mexico remembers Lincoln's opposition to the Mexican–American War. (For his part, Juárez refused to aid the Confederacy and jailed those Confederates who sought his help.) There is also a statue in Tijuana, Mexico, showing Lincoln standing and destroying the chains of slavery. There are at least three statues of Lincoln in the United Kingdom—one in Parliament Square in London by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one in Manchester by George Grey Barnard and another in Edinburgh by George Bissell. There is also a bust of the President at St Andrews Church in Hingham, Norfolk, where Lincoln's ancestors lived. In Havana, Cuba, there is a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the Museum of the Revolution, a small statue of him in front of the Abraham Lincoln School, and a bust of him near the Capitolio. In Quito, Ecuador, a statue of Lincoln can be found in the Plaza Abraham Lincoln. Avenida Abraham Lincoln, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is one of the capital city's most important and trafficked streets. In the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, there is a city named Lincoln.

Poetry

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Further information: Walt Whitman and Abraham Lincoln

Shortly after Lincoln's death, hundreds of poems were written on the topic. The historian Stephen B. Oates noted that "never had the nation mourned so over a fallen leader" while the professor William Pannapacker argued "Perhaps no event in American history produced so great an outpouring of verse." Describing Lincoln as a martyr became a "popular sub-genre."[3]

Walt Whitman was fascinated by Lincoln during the Civil War and wrote several poems about him after his death.[4] Whitman's Lincoln poems are:

Other poems on Lincoln include:

Songs

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Over 1000 pieces of music spanning every generation since his presidency have been written about Lincoln.[6]

Classical music

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Film, drama, and fiction

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Lincoln has been portrayed in many films and television shows since 1907.[12][13]

1846

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Lincoln himself wrote poetry and at least one piece of fiction loosely based upon one of the murder cases he defended as a young lawyer. In April 1846, The Quincy Whig published Lincoln's short story under the title "A Remarkable Case of Arrest for Murder". The story was republished in March 1952 by Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and retitled "The Trailor Murder Mystery." Lincoln refers to his own unnamed character as "the defense" and "the writer of this".[14]

Late 1800s

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  • In Jules Verne's 1870 novel, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, a fictitious steam frigate, the Abraham Lincoln, is sent to hunt down the "monster" that has been attacking ships at sea, and is attacked itself. Captain Nemo also has a portrait of Lincoln hanging in his study on board the Nautilus. In the sequel The Mysterious Island, the five shipwrecked Union prisoners name the island which they discover, "Lincoln Island".
  • The German writer Karl May wrote two stories about Canada Bill Jones: Ein Self-man (1878) and Three carde monte (1879).[15] The narrator meets several times with the young Abraham Lincoln and together they oppose "Kanada-Bill". Both stories have in common the first meeting of the heroes: The narrator finds Lincoln in a forest training to orate.[16]
  • In 1887, Edward Eggleston published The Graysons, a fictionalized account of a famous murder trial that Abraham Lincoln won in 1858 in central Illinois.[17]

1900–1909

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1910–1919

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Abraham Lincoln's Clemency (1910)

1920–1929

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Lincoln depicted on the cover of the March 1924 issue of Popular Mechanics

1930–1939

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Abraham Lincoln (1930)

1940–1949

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1950–1959

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1960–1969

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1970–1979

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1980–1989

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1990–1999

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2000–2009

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2010–2019

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An Abraham Lincoln reenactor in 2015
  • Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter (2010) is a novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, in which Lincoln makes it his life's goal to destroy all evil vampires in the United States. The film adaptation was released in July 2012 with Benjamin Walker starring in the title role.[23]
  • Team Fortress 2 features a comic called Loose Canon that shows Abraham Lincoln as the original BLU team's pyro.[24]
  • The Conspirator (2010) deals with the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination, centering on Mary Surratt.
  • In the 2011 director's cut of Gods and Generals based on the book of same name Lincoln was played by Christian Kauffman during a few added scenes, including one where Lincoln watches Macbeth featuring John Wilkes Booth where Booth gives the "Dagger of the Mind" soliloquy while staring intently at Lincoln.
  • In the 2010-2019 TV show Adventure Time, Abraham Lincoln (voiced by Pendleton Ward) is depicted as the King of Mars in the 2007 short and in the main series episode "Sons of Mars". He is also mentioned in other episodes throughout the series.
  • Abraham Lincoln appears in the cold opening of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Mitefall", voiced again by Peter Renaday. This version of Abraham Lincoln is from Parallel Universe 5501. While watching "Our American Cousin" with Mary, he is saved from John Wilkes Booth's assassination attempt by a Multiverse-hopping Batman who considers himself a longtime admirer of Abraham Lincoln. When John Wilkes Booth activated his steam-powered armor, Abraham Lincoln helped Batman to defeat John Wilkes Booth. Afterwards, Abraham Lincoln thanked Batman and states that reconstruction of their union can go on unabated. As Mary embraces Abraham Lincoln, Batman quotes "It was an honor to fight by your side President Lincoln." As Batman opens a portal to his next destination, he adds on to his comment "of Parallel Universe 5501" as he enters the portal.
  • Lincoln, a 2012 film based on history depicted in Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role. The film focuses on Lincoln's determination to assure that Congress passes the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
  • Louis C.K. parodied his show Louie as Lincoln on Saturday Night Live, portraying Lincoln as a stand-up comedian. (Season 38, Episode 6)
  • Portrayed by Billy Campbell in Killing Lincoln.
  • The film Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, from the Asylum, is a mockbuster of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter where Abraham Lincoln is portrayed by Bill Oberst Jr.
  • The 2013 film Saving Lincoln depicts the friendship between Lincoln and his bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon.
  • In The Lego Movie, Abraham Lincoln (voiced again by Will Forte) is one of the Master Builders. Abraham Lincoln's toy bio states that he lives in a log cabin that he built all by himself, in the middle of a forest that he built all by himself, then cut down, and then rebuilt all by himself again. Abraham Lincoln is among the Master Builders that meet in Cloud Cuckoo Land and to express his disdain towards Emmet where he commented "A house divided against itself... would be better than this!" Then he rode his white rocket chair that contains a large booster at the bottom of the chair, out of the "Dog" in Cloud Cuckoo Land much to the dismay of Emmet. He later joined in the battle against Lord Business and his forces in Bricksburg where his rocket chair carried Michelangelo Buonarroti and William Shakespeare. In the sequel, Lincoln was falling into the black hole during "Armageddon" as he says ¨I had theater tickets tonight!¨ as a reference to John Wilkes Booth assassinating him during the production of "Our American Cousin."
    • Abraham Lincoln is a playable character in The Lego Movie Videogame. He attacks by throwing the Gettysburg Address at enemies. He is also featured in the LEGO Movie 2 Video Game in 2019.
    • Abraham Lincoln also had a Collectable Minifigure Series containing him. the lego figure itself comes with all parts exclusive to him except his legs. He has a top hat with a neck beard attached, suit and bow tie, black legs, and a piece of paper as an accessory containing his famous speech that says ¨four score and seven years ago¨ in cursive at the top of the accessory in reference to the Gettysburg Address. He was also made a minifigure after the release of the LEGO Movie 2 in 2019, he wears a steampunk style top hat with goggles, an angry face expression, and a hatchet.
  • Lincoln is featured in the novel The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy.
  • Lincoln is featured as central character in the 2015 videogame Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., voiced by Wil Wheaton. This version of the character staged his own assassination, allowing him to disappear from the public eye and concentrate on running the S.T.E.A.M. strike force to combat the impending alien invasion.
  • Starting in 2016, author Jonathan F. Putnam has penned three historical mystery novels featuring Lincoln and his friend Joshua Fry Speed as the protagonists.
  • Lincoln appears in the season 1 episode "The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln" of the NBC series Timeless, portrayed by Michael Krebs. In that episode, Abraham Lincoln was killed by time-traveler and former NSA asset Garcia Flynn despite Juliet Shakesman's attempt to warn him of an attempt on his life. She does, however, prevent Garcia in also taking out Ulysses S. Grant, who was also present.
  • The Better Angels, aka, The Green Blade Rises, produced by Terrence Malick, focused on Lincoln's upbringing, showing the events and tragedies that forged him into the man he became.
  • Lincoln is featured in the 2018 film documentary The Gettysburg Address, voiced by David Morse.
  • The Booker Prize-winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders depicts Lincoln mourning the death of his son, Willie.

2020–present

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  • Abraham Lincoln was portrayed by Carel Nel in Grant, a miniseries that aired on the History Channel from May 25, 2020, to May 27, 2020, and a depiction of Lincoln's top General Ulysses S. Grant, who later became president.
  • Abraham Lincoln's ghost, voiced by Kelsey Grammer, appeared in The Ghost and Molly McGee.
  • In the 2021 film America: The Motion Picture, voiced by Will Forte.
  • In the 2022 History Channel miniseries Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln was portrayed by actor Graham Sibley.
  • UsefulCharts on YouTube featured Abraham Lincoln and his family's history. The video discusses Lincoln's ancestors as well as his descendants.[25]
  • In the Apple TV+ miniseries Manhunt, Lincoln was portrayed by Hamish Linklater.
  • In the children's book, My Day with Abe Lincoln, by historian Jonathan W. White, a present-day girl travels back in time and attends school with the young Abe Lincoln and his sister, participating in actual events from Lincoln's childhood.
  • In the comedic play, Oh, Mary! (launched on Broadway on July 11, 2024), Abraham Lincoln was portrayed by Conrad Ricamora. In this alternate history, while Lincoln deals with the stress of being president following the Civil War, he also struggles with his homosexual urges.

References

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  1. ^ Steven Spielberg, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Tony Kushner, "Mr. Lincoln Goes to Hollywood", Smithsonian (2012) 43#7 pp. 46–53.
  2. ^ Melvyn Stokes, "Abraham Lincoln and the Movies", American Nineteenth Century History 12 (June 2011), 203–31.
  3. ^ Pannapacker, William (2004). Revised Lives: Whitman, Religion, and Constructions of Identity in Nineteenth-Century Anglo-American Culture. Milton Park, Abingdon: Routledge. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-135-92451-5.
  4. ^ David S. Reynolds, Lincoln and Whitman History Now (2013) online
  5. ^ "Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight | Representative Poetry Online". rpo.library.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  6. ^ McCall, Matt (February 15, 2016). "In music, Abraham Lincoln's image evolves for each new generation". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  7. ^ Barry Schwartz, "Rereading the Gettysburg address: Social change and collective memory." Qualitative sociology 19#3 (1996): 395–422.
  8. ^ Four Walt Whitman Songs
  9. ^ Kowalke, Kim H. (1997). "For Those We Love: Hindemith, Whitman, and "An American Requiem"". Journal of the American Musicological Society. 50 (1): 133–174. doi:10.2307/832064. JSTOR 832064.
  10. ^ Sessions, Roger/When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
  11. ^ "Jennifer Higdon's 'Dooryard Bloom'" (Interview). 2006-01-15.
  12. ^ Mark S. Reinhart, Abraham Lincoln on Screen: Fictional and Documentary Portrayals on Film and Television (McFarland, 2009).
  13. ^ a b Sarah Miles Bolam; Thomas J. Bolam (2007). The Presidents on Film: A Comprehensive Filmography of Portrayals from George Washington to George W. Bush. McFarland. p. 107. ISBN 9780786424818.
  14. ^ Lundin, Leigh (14 February 2016). "Abe Lincoln's Mystery". SleuthSayers. SleuthSayers.org.
  15. ^ Online texts of Ein Self-man and Three carde monte (in German)
  16. ^ Ekkehard Koch: Der »Kanada-Bill«. Variationen eines Motivs bei Karl May. In: Jahrbuch der Karl-May-Gesellschaft 1976, pp. 29–46. (in German)
  17. ^ Eggleston, Edward (1887). The Graysons. New York: The Century Company (1901).
  18. ^ "Lincoln in the White House (Short 1939) - IMDb". IMDb.
  19. ^ Rickman, Gregg (1995). "What Is This Sickness?": "Schizophrenia" and We Can Build You. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 143–157.
  20. ^ "Stanley Meltzoff Archives: The 1976 Bell System Telephone Book Cover" JKL Museum of Telephony (December 19, 2015); retrieved March 16, 2021
  21. ^ Berhman, John (March 9, 1985). "Escondido teacher Rex Hamilton is dead at 60". The San Diego Union. p. II-1.
  22. ^ Scott Sharkey, "EGM's Top Ten Videogame Politicians: Election time puts us in a voting mood", Electronic Gaming Monthly 234 (November 2008): 97.
  23. ^ Michael Cieply (May 9, 2011). "Aside From the Vampires, Lincoln Film Seeks Accuracy". New York Times.
  24. ^ Valve. "Loose Canon from Team Fortress 2 comics". Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  25. ^ Baker, Matt (January 20, 2023). "Abraham Lincoln Family Tree" (video). UsefulCharts – via YouTube.

Further reading

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