Last Hours of Abraham Lincoln - Alonzo Chappel painting [View all]

Last edited Sun Apr 14, 2019, 08:59 PM - Edit history (1)

The 1868 painting by Alonzo Chappel titled Last Hours of Abraham Lincoln exhibits what is called "the rubber room effect" because to fit everyone into the painting who came to pay their respects to the dying president - but not all at the same time - the size of the room was made larger in the painting than it actually was.

Many of those there, including the Lincolns' son Robert Todd Lincoln, posed for Chappel for the painting. (See photo.) The Lincoln assassination happened in April 1865 and the piece was painted around 3 years later.

For fellow John and Elizabeth (Thompson) Cogswell descendants: three of our Cogswell relatives are depicted in the painting. Elizabeth (Cogswell) Dixon, who was a dear friend of 1st Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, is seated to the left of Mary, who is mourning over her dying husband. Elizabeth had been asked by the Lincolns' son Robert Todd Lincoln to come and help comfort his mother. Elizabeth brought her older sister Mary (Cogswell) Kinney with her, and Mary Kinney brought her daughter, Constance Kinney. Mary Kinney and daughter Constance are at the right in the painting. Mary Kinney is seated and Constance (grey dress) is standing to Mary's right.

Everyone shown in the painting was a real person and was in the room at some point in time as Lincoln lay dying. Somewhere I saw a website that let you roll your mouse over the people and see their names. Lost it.

If you want to, you can click the link below and then click the picture to enlarge and move around.

http://www.civilwarinart.org/items/show/49