More than a Statue: The South Mural of the Lincoln Memorial | BRIdge from the Past

0:03 Hi, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Bridge from the Past. The series is for students like you to get ahead in your US history class by using art as a starting point to think about big and often messy questions and concepts. I’m your host, Liz Evans, and today we’re going to look at the south mural of the Lincoln Memorial. We often think of the Lincoln Memorial as just this large statue of Abraham Lincoln

0:27 with a lot of stairs overlooking the reflecting pool. But there’s so much more to explore. It’s been a backdrop to major turning points in the civil rights movement. On Easter Sunday in 1939, Marianne Anderson sang on its steps after she was not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall due to segregation laws.

0:48 It also provided a backdrop for the I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedoms in 1963, which is depicted in an engraving on the steps of the memorial. Today, we’re going to look at the mural that is above the engraving of the Gettysburg Address on the south end of the memorial. A disclaimer before we begin.

1:09 Like many pieces of art from Roman and Greek history, this interpretation of governing principles in Lincoln’s life depicts nude figures. The images have been retained in their original usage to present it accurately in its historical context for student learning. This is the actual depiction you will see at the Lincoln Memorial today. What can this image reveal about

1:31 the themes of liberty and equality in the Lincoln Memorial? Let’s jump in and see. So before we get started, I really want to orient us to where we are. So if you are looking at Lincoln, there are going to be inscriptions on both sides. So I am on the side here where the Gettysburg Addresses.

1:53 So the Gettysburg Address is the inscription underneath. And then this is the mural we’re going to take a look at today. And this mural is entitled Emancipation. So I just want, again, center us to where we need to be. If you look on the other side, you will see the second inaugural address and a different mural. But today we’re going to focus on the south mural.

2:14 This is a copy of the mural. And so what I’m noticing here, there’s three panels in the middle. It looks like an angel with wings. I’m curious to who the people are in this memorial and what they could represent. I see that there are reefs. There’s a lot of symbolic things.

2:38 I’m curious as to what that symbolism is, understanding that the name of the mural is Emancipation. Overall, there’s a lot of people here, and it’s a lot of things to look at. So I actually have lots of questions. But there’s a couple of things I’m going

2:58 to need to know before we really dig in and get started. So a couple of things you need to know the architect, Henry Bacon actually used Jules Guerin as the Draftsman for his proposal for the monument to Lincoln. There was a contest. Guerin actually drew up what it would look like and there were a couple of drafts of it and submitted it.

3:21 And Henry Bacon won the opportunity to be the architects for the Lincoln Memorial. He then commissioned Erin to paint murals in the memorial. So above each of the Lincoln Memorial inscriptions, again, we have the Emancipation Proclamation. And the second inaugural address is the mural. And they are 60ft by 12ft, and they graphically portray governing

3:45 principles that were evident in Lincoln’s life. Both scenes contain background of cypress trees, and that is the emblem of eternity. So there’s a lot of symbolism within the memorial itself that you have to look for. The mural on the north side of the memorial is the Second Inaugural Address, and that’s entitled Unity.

4:09 So they match the speeches given by Lincoln. Both of those murals kind of match it. As a side note, there is a misspelling in the Second Inaugural Address, but that is something I want you to go discover for yourself. So we’re going to look through each of the big pains here to give you a little bit of a better look.

4:31 So this is the central panel, and this shows the angel. And I had asked the question, I wonder who this is? This is actually a symbol of the angel of Truth. And the angel of Truth here is releasing enslaved persons from the shackles of bondage. And you can see shackles on the people that are around her.

4:52 This goes with the theme of emancipation. Above the address, Henry Bacon and Jules Guerin one of the biggest things they thought about Lincoln and thought was one of his bigger things in his presidency was the Emancipation Proclamation. And it’s interesting to see these historical narratives of what

5:14 different people think are the center points of Lincoln’s presidency. So this is a representation of what the architect and the muralist thought. So, again, going back, because I just want you to see it in the big that the wings of the angel of Truth take up a good portion of this

5:36 mural and it just lends the question, what does that mean? What is the artist trying to get at? And the nice thing is it’s an interpretation. So you don’t have to know that’s the best part about art is looking at it, finding those facts, and then understanding what interpretation might look like.

5:56 So these are the two side panels. So on the left hand side of the mural, justice and law are represented. And then on the right hand side, immortality is the central figure and immortality is surrounded by faith, hope and charity. So all of these principles together are

6:18 really what the muralist thought about Lincoln’s life and how he governed in those principles that were really important to him. It’s an interesting thing to understand Jules Guerin’s point of view, henry Bacon’s point of view, as the people who are encapsulating Lincoln in this memorial.

6:41 And again, this memorial, you see it on movies, it’s backdrops for things. It’s a real centerpiece to the National Mall. So again, looking back at the whole of it, you have the angel of Truth, you have justice and law, and then you have immortality. So good questions can come from this

7:01 and good discussions can, because, again, a lot of art is your interpretation, and we all come with different narratives, and that’s what makes it fun. We started by asking what this image can reveal about the themes of liberty and equality in the Lincoln Memorial. We learned that the mural above the Gettysburg Address represents freedom

7:22 and liberty, with symbolisms for each of Lincoln’s governing principles, including justice, law, truth and immortality. The monument itself has a lot of symbolism through art, and we just started to uncover it. This is only one part of the Lincoln Memorial. There’s so much more to discover, as well as some fun hidden parts.

7:43 But I’m going to go ahead and turn that over to you. What do you want to know more about? What is the next question in our discussion? Let me know in the comments below if you’ve learned something. Please this video and be sure to subscribe to our channel to be in the know about other videos, contests and resources to help you throughout the school year.

8:03 I’ll be back soon with another image to help us think about the complex and layered stories that make up our nation’s history. Until then, take care.