Bust of Lincoln that was once part of the family's home now on display at ALPLM

Steven Spearie, State Journal-Register
·1 min read
A bust of Abraham Lincoln, which once occupied the Lincoln home in Springfield, now sits in the Treasures Gallery at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. The bust, gifted to Lincoln by sculptor Leonard Volk, was purchased at an auction by Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker. She, in turn, gifted it to the ALPLM. It went on display late last week.

A bust of the 16th president that was once on display at the Lincoln family home at Eighth and Jackson streets was put on display in the Treasures Gallery Friday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

The bust was a gift to the ALPLM from Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker, who purchased it from Heritage Auctions in Dallas.

It arrived in Springfield a couple of weeks ago, said ALPLM spokesman Chris Wills.

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The exact bust, sculpted by Leonard Volk of Chicago, was gifted to Lincoln after he won the Republican Party nomination for president in Chicago on May 18, 1860. It was perched on a shelf in the Lincoln home until the family departed Springfield for Washington, D.C. in February 1861.

Pritzker bid $400,000 for the bust.

It had been in the possession of the descendants of the Rev. Noyes Miner, a Baptist minister who was a friend and neighbor of Lincoln's in Springfield, before it was put up for auction. In 2019, Miner’s family donated a rare Lincoln Bible to the ALPLM.

The 15-inch-tall bust is at the center entrance to the gallery.

The bust is accompanied by a notarized statement of provenance from the consignor, Miner Warner, who is a direct descendant of Miner.

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A drawing from the March 9, 1861, issue of Frank Leslie's Illustrated newspaper shows the bust sitting atop a bookshelf in the formal front parlor of the Lincolns' home.

Rob Lipic of Decatur, Ill. and Michelle Monk of Bloomington, Ill. view a bust of Abraham Lincoln in the Treasures Gallery Saturday at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. The bust was sculpted by Leonard Volk of Chicago and given to Lincoln after his nomination for president in 1860. The bust was purchased by Illinois First Lady MK Pritzker at a recent auction and donated to the ALPLM. The bust went on display late last week.

The bust was given to Miner by a household worker of Lincoln's the morning Lincoln left Springfield for Washington to assume the presidency.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Abraham Lincoln bust that once sat in his home is back in Springfield