An 11-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln rises in front of you here in Lytle Park, downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Bronze has darkened into a dignified patina, and the scale—eleven feet from base to crown—gives the figure a presence that anchors this corner of the city. The Charles P. Taft family commissioned artist George Grey Barnard to create this memorial in commemoration of the centenary of Lincoln's birth.
Imagine the city more than a century ago when that commission brought Barnard's vision to life. The sculpture was unveiled at Lytle Park on March 31, 1917, and the dedication was delivered by former U.S. President William Howard Taft, the younger brother of Charles. Standing here you can feel how public memory is shaped: a family commission, a celebrated sculptor, and a presidential voice at the dedication all combine to fix this image of Lincoln in the civic landscape.
Barnard's work did not remain unique to Cincinnati; castings of this statue also stand in Louisville, Kentucky and in Manchester, England. This same bronze figure also stands in Louisville and in Manchester, England, though only here can you see where Taft once delivered the dedication.