A new book about Abraham Lincoln tells his story through photos of artifacts that help illustrate who he was and the impact that he had.
Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation in One Hundred Objects is being put out by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield and published by Rizzoli New York.
The book features photographs of items from Lincoln’s presidency, including the desk where he wrote his first inaugural address, as well as items from his era including the legal document introducing the first enslaved person freed with Lincoln’s help.
Christina Shutt, Executive Director of the Library and Museum, co-authored the book. She explains how the featured items were selected.
“[The artifacts]," Shutt said, "help to draw out the stories that are about him as a father, him as a president, Commander-in-Chief, [and] what it was like for him to navigate the United States through one its most tumultuous times in history."
In addition to the book, Shutt says people interested in learning more about Lincoln can also see a companion exhibit at the Library and Museum.
“In the exhibit, we’re able to use things like Generative AI to explore and make photos come to life," she said. "That just isn’t possible for us to do in a book format. But in the book, we’re giving people the deep dive into history.”
Shutt says readers of the book and those who see the companion exhibit should get a better sense of Lincoln’s humanity.
“I hope one of the things they take away," Shutt said, "is his deep sense of character, that Lincoln didn’t just decide to be a good person or to do the right thing when he became president, but he really built a lifetime of honesty, of integrity."
The exhibit at the Abraham Presidential Library and Museum runs through late April.