Abraham Lincoln, a portrait by George Frederick Wright

Of the many portraits executed immediately after his nomination for the presidency in 1860, Lincoln purchased this painting, said to be his favorite, as a gift for William Butler, the state treasurer of Illinois and a close Springfield friend.

George Frederick Wright (1828-1881), the artist, was an otherwise little known portrait painter who worked primarily in Connecticut and Illinois. The Lincoln portrait subsequently passed to Butler's daughter, Salome, and to William J. Butler, her nephew, before it was purchased by Edward W. Payne, a Springfield banker.

In 1934, after being exhibited at the Century of Progress exposition, the painting was acquired from Payne's estate by the University of Chicago with funds provided by Edward F. Swift.

The portrait hangs in the Special Collections Research Center.

You can search our archival holdings for information about other Lincoln materials in our collection!