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Standing Lincoln is a bronze statue in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Completed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in 1887, it has been described as the most important sculpture of Abraham Lincoln from the nineteenth century.[1] Abraham Lincoln II, Lincoln's only grandson, was present at the unveiling.[2]
The sculpture depicts a contemplative Lincoln rising from a chair, about to give a speech. It is set upon a pedestal designed by architect Stanford White.[3] The monument was a favorite of Hull House founder Jane Addams, who once wrote, "I walked the wearisome way from Hull-House to Lincoln Park . . . in order to look look at and gain magnanimous counsel from the statue."[4] Journalist Andrew Ferguson discusses the statue at length in his book Land of Lincoln, writing that the statue presents "a sort of world-weariness that seems almost kind."[2] The City of Chicago awarded the monument landmark status on December 12, 2001.[1]