Original 1865 oil of Abraham Lincoln
to be unveiled at his birthday celebration at LC Museum    

[FEB. 11, 2004]  The Lincoln College Museum will join the city of Lincoln's celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12 by unveiling a recently acquired original 1865 William Cogswell oil canvas portrait of Abraham Lincoln, donated by Louis Starr of Springville, N.Y. The portrait is the museum's first period painting.

Cogswell was known as a portraitist of some distinction. His subjects include Presidents Lincoln, Grant and McKinley, Gen. Sheridan, King Kalakua and Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, and nine California governors.

Starr purchased the Cogswell painting about 10 years ago from an art dealer in Buffalo, N.Y., because he believed there was something special about the portrait. "When I first saw the Cogswell Lincoln, I knew I had to buy it. It just connected with me," said Starr.

"This really belongs to the people of our nation and should be made available to them. I wanted the painting to be where it would be appreciated and to leave a legacy to my children and grandchildren. I wanted them to be able to view it and say, ‘That painting was in our living room when I was growing up.'"

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After visiting the Lincoln College Museum, he found it to be a fitting home for the public to enjoy this treasure.

The portrait will have its official unveiling in the museum at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, Lincoln's birthday. Other Feb. 12 activities will include the dedication of the Lincoln sesquicentennial time capsule, which will be at 2 p.m. in Centennial Park, followed by the erection of a new sign noting the location of the law office of Abraham Lincoln's law partner Samuel Parks on the west side of the downtown square.

[Lincoln College news release]