Young Lincoln

The idealized image of Lincoln as a young man overlooking the Petersen House, where Lincoln died, was commissioned through the Park Service to improve the appearance of the historic strip opposite Ford’s Theater in the mid-1980s. Richard Haas, an internationally acclaimed artist who works in a style reminiscent of the New Deal, depicted the future president as a country boy in heavy boots, a rolled shirt, suspenders, and holding an axe. A log cabin with chimney in the background establishes Lincoln’s rustic origins and connection with common folk. In 2010 Ford’s Theater had the mural painted over as part of renovations to the adjacent structures.