| Artist | Rudolf Schwarz (sculptor) and Marie Stewart (designer) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1906 |
| Type | bronze plaque set in limestone |
| Dimensions | 170 cm × 89 cm (65 in × 35 in) |
| Location | Indianapolis, IN |
| Owner | State of Indiana |
The Abraham Lincoln commemorative plaque is a public artwork designed by Marie Stewart and created by Rudolf Schwarz in 1906. The bronze plaque is located near the Indiana Government Center South, on the corner of West Washington and South Missouri Streets in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The plaque is approximately 65 inches (170 centimeters) tall and 35 inches (89 centimeters) wide. It is set in a limestone block 100 inches (250 centimeters) tall. The block remains rough with the exception of a carved Corinthian column capital that is adhered to the front proper left corner. The column is attached in such as a way as to make the stone appear to be one solid piece.
Contents |
At the top of the bronze plaque is a relief of Abraham Lincoln's profile as young man, as well as the Indiana Statehouse, the Great Seal of the United States, a log cabin, and a large olive branch. Lincoln's right side is shown, and he does not have a beard. The images of the Statehouse and the Seal of the United States are on the proper left side of the relief, and the log cabin is on the proper right side. The log cabin image represents Lincoln's boyhood home in southern Indiana. The olive branch extends from beneath Lincoln's profile into the proper left side so that Lincoln is facing the olive branch in the same way the eagle on the Great Seal does during peacetime. The relief comprises the top 17 inches (43 centimeters) of the plaque.
Beneath the relief is an inscription in raised, capital letters that reads,
Here Feb 11 1861
Abraham Lincoln on
his way to Washing-
ton to assume the
Presidency in an ad-
dress said: "I appeal
to you to constant-
ly bear in mind that
not with politicians
not with presidents
not with office seek-
ers but with you is the
question: Shall the
Union and shall the lib-
erties of this country
be preserved to the
latest generations?"
The plaque is affixed to the limestone block with four large bolts on each corner of the inscription.
There are no visible foundry marks.
Indianapolis high school student Marie Stewart designed the plaque in 1906 and won the citywide contest to design a plaque commemorating Abraham Lincoln's speech given at the nearby Bates House in Indianapolis on his way to Washington, D.C. for his first inauguration. The plaque was then made by Rudolf Schwarz and dedicated in 1907 on February 2, Lincoln's birthday.[1]
The plaque was originally located at the Claypool Hotel which stood on the site of the Bates House on the corner of Illinois and Washington streets a few blocks to the east.[2] In the late 1960s the Claypool Hotel was torn down, and in 1971 the plaque was moved westward on Washington Street. It was put in its present location in 1991.[1]
The plaque was designed by Indianapolis high school student Marie Stewart. It was completed by Vienna-born sculptor Rudolf Schwarz. Schwarz also crafted the limestone sculptures on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at the center of Indianapolis.[3] Schwarz later created several county memorials in Indiana[4] as well as the Oliver P. Morton monument to Indiana Governor Oliver P. Morton on the east side of the Indiana Statehouse.[5]
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