FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
November 12, 2018

FAMOUS LINCOLN PORTRAIT TO ARRIVE AT BUREAU, GRUNDY, KANE, AND LASALLE COUNTY COURTHOUSES

A high-quality reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph will be presented to four Illinois county courthouses on Monday, November 19.

Unveiling ceremonies will take place at the following courthouses, and will be open to the public:

• Bureau County Courthouse, 700 South Main St., Princeton – 3 p.m.
  Judge Cornelius Hollerich
• Grundy County Courthouse, 111 E. Washington St., Morris – 11 a.m.
  Judge Robert Marsaglia
• Kane County Courthouse, 100 S. Third St., Geneva – 11:30 a.m.
• LaSalle County Courthouse, 119 W. Madison St., Ottawa – 1 p.m.
  Judge Joseph Hettel

The photograph was taken in Springfield by well-known photographer Alexander Hesler on June 3, 1860, for Lincoln’s 1860 presidential campaign. Historians consider Hesler’s portrait one of the best taken of Lincoln during his pre-presidential years.

The permanent installation is made possible by donations from the Illinois Judges Association (IJA), the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) and their respective foundations – the Illinois Judges Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation. Printed on canvas, the image of the beardless Lincoln is encased in a richly stained wood frame and measures 30-inches wide by 40-inches tall.

The four organizations are partnering with the Illinois State Historical Society (ISHS), which owns the glass-plate positives of Hesler’s Lincoln portrait. The ISHS is leading a statewide campaign to place a framed copy in a courthouse in each of Illinois’ 102 counties in commemoration of the state’s bicentennial this year.