While still a teenager, sculptor Vinnie Ream began preliminary sketches
of Lincoln during the last five months of his life. Rep. James Rollins of
Missouri gained White House access for her after he reportedly told Lincoln that she was poor.
She became the first woman to receive a commission from Congress to
create a statue for the Rotunda. To accurately render the statue's garments, she
borrowed the clothes Lincoln wore the night of his assassination.Ream Statue in
Washington, D.C.
Located inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, this marble statue was dedicated on
January 25, 1871, in the presence of President Grant and many other dignitaries.
David Davis, Abraham Lincoln's long-time friend from Illinois, had the honor of
officially unveiling it.
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