Historic Illinois Calendar

Celebrating the Bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln

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The 2009 edition of the Historic Illinois Calendar is printed and will be distributed to subscribers in late October. The calendar commemorates the bicentennial anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. As such it will feature twelve portraits of the Sixteenth President, images created by professional and amateur artists, some portraits done from life, others modern interpretations. The 2009 Calendar is destined to become a collectible item.

The 9 1/2-by-11-inch 2009 calendar is designed to provide space to record birthdays, appointments, and upcoming events. The design rivals that found in bookstores for nearly twice the price. The cost is $7 each, or $5 each for orders of five or more, an economical price that makes the calendar a popular choice for gift giving.

To purchase calendars, please send a check or money order to Historic Illinois Calendar, 1 Old State Capitol Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701-1512. Subscribers, please note that you will receive one Calendar as part of your subscription.

The twelve images are:

January — This portrait of a young Abraham Lincoln, which hangs in the Lincoln Bedroom of the Illinois Executive Mansion, was painted from life in 1860.	February — William Camm, an artist in Winchester, Illinois, completed this portrait in 1860. Lincoln sat for Camm in the artist’s studio, where Camm made an outline. The artist finished the painting using a photograph. According to an October 12, 1922, article in the Jacksonville Journal, this portrait was used as a banner during the Lincoln-Douglas debates.	March — Self-trained painter William F. Cogswell was invited to the White House in 1864 to sketch Abraham Lincoln. His most famous portrait of Lincoln, for which he won $3,000 in a portrait contest, hangs in the White House. This portrait was probably produced from the same set of sketches.
April — A decidedly modern take on the image of Abraham Lincoln, LeRoy Neiman’s portrait of the Sixteenth President is executed in the modern colorful style that the contemporary Neiman is famous for. Better known for his sports paintings, Neiman has also produced a series of portraits of other famous people.	May — This 1938 portrait by Catherine Carter Critcher is a copy of one painted by George Peter Alexander Healy that hangs in the White House. The Critcher copy was owned by Lincoln’s last descendant, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith. He donated the painting to the Illinois State Historical Society in 1976, and it is on loan to the Illinois Executive Mansion.	June — Illinois artists Alb Meyer used an 1860 photograph by Alexander Hesler to render this image about 1925. The painting, on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, hangs in the Illinois Executive Mansion.
July — Renowned portraitist Marla Friedman painted this profile portrait of Lincoln in 2001. Friedman, who has painted a number of famous contemporaries, has also painted a few historical figures. This picture was donated by a private collector to the Illinois Executive Mansion.	August — The dribble technique, employed in this portrait by Umberto Romano, makes a somber depiction of the Sixteenth President. Romano won countless awards for his work, which is highly collectible today. Romano’s wife donated this oil on canvas to the Illinois State Historical Library, now Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, in 1998.	September — William A. Patterson executed this oil painting of Lincoln about 1925. Patterson painted more than twenty portraits of Lincoln, interpretations he settled on after long discussions with the few Springfield residents who knew the president. Patterson was also well known for his specialty of painting miniature portraits on ivory.
October — Before Elijah C. Middleton finished his work on his chromolithograph image of Lincoln, he sent him a proof of his work. Lincoln responded in a letter to Middleton offering praise and a critique. This portrait is the only known likeness where Lincoln offered his advice to an artist.	November — Of all the artists who painted Abraham Lincoln, it is Francis Bicknell Carpenter who will be known as the foremost painter of Lincoln. Carpenter had experience in painting presidents — he painted Millard Fillmore, John Tyler, and Franklin Pierce. In 1864 Lincoln invited him to the White House to paint the now-famous “First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln,” which today hangs in the U.S. Capitol.	December — Painted from life about 1862, this portrait of Lincoln was rendered by Alban Jasper Conant. Conant, who received no formal art training, mastered his craft by working with prominent artists Thomas Sully and Henry Iman. In addition to this image of Lincoln, Conant is known for his rare interpretations of the “Smiling Lincoln,” a portrait that earned him a good working relationship with the President.

Calendars are just $7. Order five or more at $5 each.

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