Jan 22 Thu MORGAN LIBRARY - LINCOLN SPEAKS
Jan 22 Thu 10-11.30am Morgan Celebrates Lincolns Words: Press Preview Lincoln Speaks
THE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM TOGETHER WITH THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY PRESENT
LINCOLN SPEAKS: WORDS THAT TRANSFORMED A NATION
New Exhibition Opening January 23 Coincides with the 150
the Anniversary of Lincoln’s Assassination and the End of the Civil War
Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation
January 23 – June 7, 2015
**Press Preview: Thursday,
January 22, 10 –11:30 am**
RSVP: media@themorgan.orgn Jan 7
New York, NY, December 12, 2014—
No U.S. president and few leaders of any time or place have commanded language with the skill of Abraham Lincoln. Largely self-taught, he
achieved a mastery of the word that helped him win the presidency and define the true meaning of America’s founding principle of human
equality. In his writings and speeches—many of which are woven into the historical fabric of America—he vigorously strove to defend the
Union and the Constitution, while also salving the wounds of a country torn apart by civil war.
Now, in a new exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum titled
Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation, more than eighty items
from his remarkable life—speeches, letters, legal writings, personal notes, and more—will be presented. Co-organized by the Morgan and the
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and on view from January 23 through June 7, the show includes not only well-known documents such
as the Gettysburg Address, but a number of infrequently exhibited items that serve as powerful—and perhaps unexpected—reminders of the man behind the genius. Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of his assassination and the conclusion of the Civil War, visitors to the Morgan will see up-close how the most common of men reached uncommon heights of eloquence. The exhibition will also include a selection of
photographs and artifacts from Lincoln’s time, as well as a short, in-gallery film that featurescontemporary writers and scholars sharing their personal views on his matchless gifts with language.
“Abraham Lincoln’s landmark writings and speeches are familiar
to us all and their influence ontinues to this day, not only in the U.S.,
but throughout the world,” said Peggy Fogelman, acting director of the Morgan Library and Museum. “Lincoln Speaks presents these great works
and the volatile, strife-ridden context around their creation. Importantly, however, it also highlights less renown items that offer valuable insight in to the character and beliefs of the more private
Lincoln. We are deeply grateful to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for partnering with us on this extraordinary exhibition.”
James G. Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Richard Gilder Professor of
Literary History at Barnard College said, “Even for the Lincoln specialist and certainly for every American who cares about history, this is a must-see exhibition. The iconic Lincoln is here—the Cooper Union speech, the Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural Address—but even more
importantly, so are some of the rarest and most revealing documents in Lincoln’s hand—a note denying clemency to a slave trader sentenced to death, and the last letter he ever wrote to his wife, about the fall of Richmond. Parents will want to bring their children, teachers their students,
but everybody will appreciate the hidden Lincoln whose words continue to resonate today.”
Read MoreTHE MORGAN LIBRARY & MUSEUM TOGETHER WITH THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY PRESENT
LINCOLN SPEAKS: WORDS THAT TRANSFORMED A NATION
New Exhibition Opening January 23 Coincides with the 150
the Anniversary of Lincoln’s Assassination and the End of the Civil War
Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation
January 23 – June 7, 2015
**Press Preview: Thursday,
January 22, 10 –11:30 am**
RSVP: media@themorgan.orgn Jan 7
New York, NY, December 12, 2014—
No U.S. president and few leaders of any time or place have commanded language with the skill of Abraham Lincoln. Largely self-taught, he
achieved a mastery of the word that helped him win the presidency and define the true meaning of America’s founding principle of human
equality. In his writings and speeches—many of which are woven into the historical fabric of America—he vigorously strove to defend the
Union and the Constitution, while also salving the wounds of a country torn apart by civil war.
Now, in a new exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum titled
Lincoln Speaks: Words That Transformed a Nation, more than eighty items
from his remarkable life—speeches, letters, legal writings, personal notes, and more—will be presented. Co-organized by the Morgan and the
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and on view from January 23 through June 7, the show includes not only well-known documents such
as the Gettysburg Address, but a number of infrequently exhibited items that serve as powerful—and perhaps unexpected—reminders of the man behind the genius. Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of his assassination and the conclusion of the Civil War, visitors to the Morgan will see up-close how the most common of men reached uncommon heights of eloquence. The exhibition will also include a selection of
photographs and artifacts from Lincoln’s time, as well as a short, in-gallery film that featurescontemporary writers and scholars sharing their personal views on his matchless gifts with language.
“Abraham Lincoln’s landmark writings and speeches are familiar
to us all and their influence ontinues to this day, not only in the U.S.,
but throughout the world,” said Peggy Fogelman, acting director of the Morgan Library and Museum. “Lincoln Speaks presents these great works
and the volatile, strife-ridden context around their creation. Importantly, however, it also highlights less renown items that offer valuable insight in to the character and beliefs of the more private
Lincoln. We are deeply grateful to the Gilder Lehrman Institute for partnering with us on this extraordinary exhibition.”
James G. Basker, president of the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Richard Gilder Professor of
Literary History at Barnard College said, “Even for the Lincoln specialist and certainly for every American who cares about history, this is a must-see exhibition. The iconic Lincoln is here—the Cooper Union speech, the Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural Address—but even more
importantly, so are some of the rarest and most revealing documents in Lincoln’s hand—a note denying clemency to a slave trader sentenced to death, and the last letter he ever wrote to his wife, about the fall of Richmond. Parents will want to bring their children, teachers their students,
but everybody will appreciate the hidden Lincoln whose words continue to resonate today.”
