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The 2007 edition of the Official City of Springfield Ornament series celebrates the Lincoln-Herndon Law office and the Lincoln family sculptures on the Old State Capitol Plaza. With this ornament, we continue the tradition of a local artist contributing an original design.
Springfield photographer and artist Gale Myers, designer of the 2007 ornament, has taken photos of the sculptures of the Abraham, Mary, Willie and Robert Lincoln and overlaid the family in front of the Lincoln-Herndon law office.
This ornament is plated in 24-karat gold and each piece is signed and numbered. It is the 15th edition in the City of Springfield series, which each year honors one of Central Illinois’ architectural or historic treasures.
Besides being a signed and numbered collectible, a work of art and a symbol of civic pride, these ornaments have yet another, deeper purpose. The annual city ornament is a fund raising project of St. Joseph's Home. Donations generated have contributed substantially to support the needs of the elderly men and women who live at the Home.
This year’s ornament, and most of previous years’ ornaments, are available at St. Joseph’s Home (217/529-5596) or by secure ordering at www.abelincoln.com. The ornaments are available during the Christmas season and at about 20 Springfield-area shops.
About the sculpture
According to the sculptor of the Lincoln family, Larry Anderson, “He (Lincoln) couldn’t have gone from a log cabin to the White House without the polishing effects of a career in Springfield. Here he met Mary, became a father, a successful lawyer, then politically active.”
The 2007 official Springfield ornament depicts the Lincoln family standing in front of the Tinsley Building where the law offices of the Lincoln-Herndon partnership were located. Mrs. Lincoln is shown smoothing her husband’s lapel in preparation for his delivery of a speech on October 4, 1854. Willie is with them, waving to Robert who stands a short distance away. Lincoln’s speech is tucked into his hatband.
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