CLAY CO., Ill. - The famous reproduction portrait of one of America's best-known presidents is coming to another area courthouse tomorrow, October 8.
The high-quality reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph (which just a few weeks ago was the subject of this event at the Pope County Courthouse in Golconda) will be presented to the Clay County Courthouse tomorrow night, Tuesday, October 8. A press release on the event advises that the unveiling ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the courthouse, located at 111 Chestnut Street, in Louisville.
The event is open to the public.
Press material on the well-known photographer, Alexander Hesler, indicates that he took the photograph in Springfield on June 3, 1860, for Lincoln’s 1860 presidential campaign. Historians consider Hesler’s portrait one of the best taken of Lincoln during his pre-presidential years.
The permanent installation is made possible by donations from the Illinois Judges Association (IJA), the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and their respective foundations – the Illinois Judges Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation. Printed on canvas, the image of the beardless Lincoln is encased in a richly-stained wood frame and measures 30 inches wide by 40 inches tall.
The four organizations are partnering with the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS), which owns the glass-plate positives of Hesler’s Lincoln portrait. The ISHS is leading a statewide campaign to place a framed copy in a courthouse in each of Illinois’ 102 counties in commemoration of the state’s bicentennial this year.