The Lincoln Forum Bulletin. Issue 26, Fall 2009.
I recently received the new issue of the Lincoln Forum Bulletin published by the Lincoln Forum. This is only the second issue I have received but I have been impressed by both. The quality of the writing as well as the physical quality of the newsletter are above most.
The lead article this issue is titled Sandra Day O'Connor Earns the Lincoln Forum Award of Achievement. In addition to being the first woman Supreme Court justice O'Connor has written several books, chaired the 2007 400th anniversary of Jamestown, founded the website OurCourts.org, and was the featured speaker at the 1998 Gettysburg ceremony honoring the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's speech dedicating the Soldier's National Cemetery. This just scratches the surface of the achievements of this remarkable woman.
Further articles include News From the Lincoln Bicentennial: The Celebration Continues, Abraham Lincoln: Made in New York which focuses on the New York Historical Society exhibition titled Lincoln and New York, Lincoln Briefs: Recent News and Notes, and The Lincoln Forum Scholarship Essay. A full page article titled In Memoriam: William Safire, Merrill Peterson, Milton Metzler memorializes these great writers. The back cover article is titled Rededicating A National Landmark: The Lincoln Memorial at Four Score and Seven. This briefly discusses the ceremony that took place 87 years after the original dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. The issue wraps up with New on the Lincoln Bookshelf, which contains brief overviews on nine new Lincoln books.
The article I may find most interesting though is a very brief one titled Thanks for Family which discusses the reality of the Lincoln family in light of the scene painted by Francis Carpenter (shown at left). It discusses how this painting was really pieced together as a "composite dream of what might have been had the Lincolns lived ordinary lives around the dinner table." The main pose is based upon the famous Matthew Brady photo of the president and son Tad. Mary provided photos of herself, Robert, and her late son Willie from which Carpenter was to work. The work is still popular today and is included in the NYHS exhibit and is also available for purchase as a fine art print.
Yet again a nice newsletter from a fine organization. If you are interested in Lincoln this is an organization you should consider being a member of.
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