Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Ashland, Oregon)

A 1915 marble statue of Abraham Lincoln by Antonio Frilli is installed in Ashland, Oregon's Lithia Park, in the United States. The statue was gifted to the city by Gwin S. Butler, who dedicated the artwork as a memorial to his stepfather, pioneer Jacob Thompson, in 1916.[2]

Statue of Abraham Lincoln
ArtistAntonio Frilli
Year1915 (1915)
MediumMarble sculpture
SubjectAbraham Lincoln
LocationAshland, Oregon, United States
The headless statue of Abraham Lincoln in Lithia Park in 2006

Description edit

The statue is a standing figure of Lincoln with books stacked on his proper left foot. He wears an unbuttoned coat and holds a scroll in his proper right hand.[3] The marble sculpture measures approximately 5 x 2 x 1 1/3 ft and rests on a granite base measuring approximately 4 ft, 4 in tall.[1] One bronze plaque reads:

IN MEMORY / OF / JACOB THOMPSON / PIONEER OF / 1847

Another reads:[3]

ABRAHAM LINCOLN / DONATED TO THE CITY OF ASHLAND IN 1915 BY / GWIN S. BUTLER / IN MEMORY OF HIS STEPFATHER / JACOB THOMPSON / ORIGINALLY SCULPTED IN FLORENCE, ITALY BY / A. FRILLI / EXTENSIVE RESORTATION (sic) IN 1990 BY / JEFFRY BERNARD.

History edit

The statue was created in 1915.[3] It was originally installed near Butler-Perozzi Fountain and was later relocated to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and eventually Lithia Park. It has been vandalized several times, including in 1958 and the beheading of the statue in 1967.[4][5] The artwork was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.[3] It was beheaded once again in 2008 and removed from the park for repairs.[6][7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Statues of Abraham Lincoln. Antonio Frilli // The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
  2. ^ Achen, Paris (2007-04-22). "Who donated the statue of Lincoln in Ashland's Lithia Park?". Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  3. ^ a b c d "Abraham Lincoln, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  4. ^ "Coming Down". Spokane Chronicle. 6 December 1967. p. 7.
  5. ^ Achen, Paris (April 22, 2007). "Has the statue of Abraham Lincoln always had such bad luck?". Mail Tribune. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  6. ^ French, Julie (2008-06-06). "Lincoln statue removed from Lithia Park". Ashland Daily Tidings. Retrieved 2019-06-09.
  7. ^ Mihalovich, Michele (2008-06-03). "Lincoln loses head ... for the fourth time". Mail Tribune. Retrieved 2019-06-09.

External links edit