Famous Lincoln portrait replica to be unveiled at courthouse

A high-quality reproduction of a famous Abraham Lincoln photograph will be presented to the Randolph County Courthouse, 1 Taylor St., Chester, during a public ceremony at 10:30 a.m. July 13.

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.

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 permanent installation is made possible by donations from the Illinois Judges Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and its respective foundations - the Illinois Judges Foundation and the Illinois Bar Foundation.

The four organizations are partnering with the Illinois State Historical Society, which owns the glass-plate positives of the Hesler-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.

"This famous portrait shows a young Abraham Lincoln at the start of his presidential run," said Richard A. Brown, judge of the 20th Judicial Circuit. "In honor of the state's bicentennial, it is particularly appropriate that we have found a home for it in the county 'Where Illinois Began.'"