Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Seated Lincoln

Seated Lincoln is a commemorative sculpture by Gutzon Borglum, located beside the Essex County Courthouse in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The bronze statue portrays Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, seated at the end of a bench. It was officially dedicated during Memorial Day in 1911 by the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. The work was funded through a bequest from businessman Amos Hoagland Van Horn, who also financed Borglum’s Wars of America monument in Newark. Seated Lincoln was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1995.

Bronze Seated Lincoln sculpture of Abraham Lincoln seated on a long bench with a top hat beside him.
Seated Lincoln bronze sculpture showing Abraham Lincoln seated on a bench with his top hat beside him.
1921 © · No restrictions
Seated Lincoln sculpture on a bench in a brick-paved public square with landscaped shrubs and buildings nearby.
Seated Lincoln rests on a bench in a landscaped public square in Springfield, Illinois.
April 2023 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seated Lincoln sculpture of a bearded man in a suit beside a stone courthouse with columns and steps.
Seated Lincoln stands in front of a stone courthouse with columns and a broad staircase.
April 2010 © · CC0
Seated Lincoln overlooks a brick-paved plaza toward a city intersection.
Seated Lincoln facing a brick-paved plaza and the downtown street beyond.
October 2021 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
A man in a suit stands beside the Seated Lincoln statue with one foot on a low platform, looking toward the sculpture.
Osborn H. Oldroyd stands beside Gutzon Borglum’s Seated Lincoln statue in Newark.
October 1913 © Newark Evening News · Public domain

Identification

TitleSeated Lincoln
Typecommemorative sculpture

Creator

InspirationBorglum was inspired by reports that Lincoln often sat alone on a bench in the White House garden to gather his thoughts during the American Civil War, especially when there was bad news
ArtistGutzon Borglum
Related artist workBorglum later sculpted the heads of four U.S. presidents including Lincoln at Mount Rushmore
Artist's earlier Lincoln workA marble bust of Lincoln completed in 1908 and now installed at the U.S. Capitol

Historical context

Year created1911
Historical contextCreated in connection with Newark's remembrance of Lincoln after his 1861 visit to the city
Related historical eventLincoln's presidential train stopped in Newark for 45 minutes on February 21, 1861 during his trip to his first inauguration
Date referenced in nearby historical context1860 United States presidential election
People associated with the broader contextHistorian Charles Cummings; New Jersey Governor Charles Smith Olden; Newark Common Council; Newark Mayor Moses Bigelow; Abraham Lincoln
Related workVan Horn also financed Borglum's Wars of America monument in Newark
FundingFunded by a $25,000 bequest from Amos Hoagland Van Horn, a Newark businessman who died in 1908

Materials

Materialbronze
FoundryGorham Manufacturing Company foundry, New York
CastingThe sculpture was cast at the Gorham Manufacturing Company foundry in New York

Physical characteristics

Composition/styleinformal composition
Stylistic departureAn unusual departure from the usual monumental depiction of Lincoln standing or enthroned on a high plinth
HatStovepipe hat resting on the bench beside Lincoln's hand
BaseSet on a low stone platform with five steps
Facial featuresBearded but bare headed
Sizelarger than life size
DepictionLincoln seated at one end of a bronze bench

Iconography and meaning

SubjectAbraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

Location and ownership

LocationNext to the Essex County Courthouse in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States
Location relative to courthouseBeside the steps to the courthouse

History and restoration

Dedication dateMay 30, 1911 (Memorial Day)
Dedicated byPresident Theodore Roosevelt
Roosevelt's reactionHe reportedly exclaimed, 'Why this doesn't look like a monument at all!' which Borglum took as a compliment
RestorationRestored in 1980 by the Cavalier Renaissance Foundry of Bridgeport, Connecticut
MaquettesBorglum made a number of smaller bronze maquettes of the statue
Auction exampleOne maquette was sold at Sotheby's in 2009 for $62,500; another was sold in 2016 for $100,000

Significance

Historic designationListed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1995 for its significance in art
Associated city memorialsOne of many memorials in Newark dedicated to Lincoln