Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight
Encyclopedia
"Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight" is a 1914 poem by American
poet Vachel Lindsay
. It portrays Abraham Lincoln
walking the streets of Springfield, Illinois
, stirred from his eternal sleep, a man, who even in death, is burdened by the tragedies of the modern world. At the time this poem was written, Lindsay was oppressed by knowledge of the blood and death exacted by World War I
.
A statue by sculptor Fred Martin Torrey of Lincoln at the West Virginia State Capitol
, placed alongside the Kanawha River
, portrays Lincoln as he is described in the poem. Lindsay's name is inscribed at the base of the statue.
Sculptor Fred Martin Torrey, born in Fairmont, July 29, 1884, specialized in depictions of Abraham Lincoln. Educated in the Fairmont schools, Torrey left West Virginia in 1909 to enroll at the Art Institute of Chicago. He studied there with the renowned sculptor Lorado Taft. Torrey met his wife, Mabel Landrum Torrey, also a sculptor, at the Institute.
Torrey’s 1933 statue, ‘‘Lincoln Walks at Midnight,’’ was displayed as a 29-inch bronze at the 1939 World’s Fair. In 1974 a nine-and-one-half foot bronze casting of the statue as executed by Charleston artist Bernard Wiepper was erected near the West Virginia state capitol. Torrey’s 42-inch plaster model of the sculpture is in the possession of the State Museum.
Torrey sculpted other historic figures as well, including Stephen Douglas, George Washington, and George Washington Carver. One of his last works was a 1965 bust of John F. Kennedy. Torrey died in Ames, Iowa, July 8, 1967.
The poem was included in Louis Untermeyer
's anthology, Modern American Poetry, published in 1919 (see 1919 in poetry
).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet Vachel Lindsay
Vachel Lindsay
Nicholas Vachel Lindsay was an American poet. He is considered the father of modern singing poetry, as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted...
. It portrays Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
walking the streets of Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, stirred from his eternal sleep, a man, who even in death, is burdened by the tragedies of the modern world. At the time this poem was written, Lindsay was oppressed by knowledge of the blood and death exacted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
A statue by sculptor Fred Martin Torrey of Lincoln at the West Virginia State Capitol
West Virginia State Capitol
The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was dedicated in 1932...
, placed alongside the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...
, portrays Lincoln as he is described in the poem. Lindsay's name is inscribed at the base of the statue.
Sculptor Fred Martin Torrey, born in Fairmont, July 29, 1884, specialized in depictions of Abraham Lincoln. Educated in the Fairmont schools, Torrey left West Virginia in 1909 to enroll at the Art Institute of Chicago. He studied there with the renowned sculptor Lorado Taft. Torrey met his wife, Mabel Landrum Torrey, also a sculptor, at the Institute.
Torrey’s 1933 statue, ‘‘Lincoln Walks at Midnight,’’ was displayed as a 29-inch bronze at the 1939 World’s Fair. In 1974 a nine-and-one-half foot bronze casting of the statue as executed by Charleston artist Bernard Wiepper was erected near the West Virginia state capitol. Torrey’s 42-inch plaster model of the sculpture is in the possession of the State Museum.
Torrey sculpted other historic figures as well, including Stephen Douglas, George Washington, and George Washington Carver. One of his last works was a 1965 bust of John F. Kennedy. Torrey died in Ames, Iowa, July 8, 1967.
The poem was included in Louis Untermeyer
Louis Untermeyer
Louis Untermeyer was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961.-Life and career:...
's anthology, Modern American Poetry, published in 1919 (see 1919 in poetry
1919 in poetry
—From A Prayer for My Daughter by W. B. Yeats, first published this yearNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* Two paintings by E. E...
).