The marble statue of Abraham Lincoln by the 19th century American woman sculptor Vinnie Ream in the U.S. Capitol rotunda received more visibility on February 12 when it was featured in a notable Lincoln “Bicameral Celebration” that was televised on C-span 2. It was later re-broadcast on C-span 1 on February 14. President Obama and other dignitaries spoke and the event lasted a bit over an hour. Vinnie Ream was mentioned, but they didn’t say the statue was the work of a teenage girl. Ms. Ream received the statue commission form Congress in 1866 when the artist was only 18 years old. She was the first woman and youngest artist to receive such a commission for a statue from the U.S. Congress. Of course Congress giving the job to a young girl created quite a controversy. Some doubted her ability to do the job. They were blasted by the press and the Senate debate ran over 7 pages in the record. http://www.vinnieream.com/debate.htm

Some certainly doubted that a young woman could do the job, but the finished marble statue was unveiled at the Capitol in 1871 and it has been there ever since. It’s at least 50 years older than the Lincoln Memorial which has the big statue by D.C. French most people know. Some disliked the Vinnie Ream statue’s downcast expression but the figure has a duality that was intentional. From the side you see the benevolent Lincoln trying to do a good deed for mankind, but from the front you see the tragic Lincoln, a man worn by war and death and personal grief. It’s the greatest statue of Lincoln and is one that has never been surpassed, in my opinion. And Ms. Ream actually modeled the work from life sittings. She also measured the suit Lincoln wore the night he was shot and she had the statue model inspected by surgeons for accuracy. http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/special/ream_vinnie.cfm

I knew the story because I’m related to the Ream family though both parents, but few people today seem to know who Vinnie Ream was. I am hoping this obscure artist can get more visibility. Her compelling story of creating the Lincoln statue should be better known. I made a 7 minute cut-down version of the one-hour video documentary I produced that we have put up on YouTube. The video was based on my lengthy 1997 illustrated biography on Vinnie Ream. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z0pn9M64EU