Traveling In Lincoln's Footsteps

I was born in Illinois, living there until first grade, and was always proud to know that Abraham Lincoln, though born in Kentucky, lived much of his life in my home state before becoming our 16th President.  I moved away from Illinois without ever having visited a home he lived in. It took a road trip back to the mid-west, with our little grandson in tow, to finally get there!

At a fun coffee shop across the street from the Lincoln
Home National Historical Site in Springfield, IL.

We were able to make a stop at the only home Abraham Lincoln ever bought when we visited The Lincoln Home and Neighborhood in Springfield, Illinois, where he practiced law.  We found it fascinating to follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln while exploring the beautifully restored historic neighborhood homes surrounding his home of seventeen years.

Below is a photo of the house, that I took from the same vantage point as the black and white photo (taken in 1860) in which you see Abraham Lincoln and his son standing behind the wrought iron fence.

The house was originally constructed in 1839 as a one-and-a-half story cottage.  It was later expanded by the Lincolns into a two-story house with corner columns, moulding and other Greek revival features, to accommodate their growing family.  The Lincolns lived in this house from 1844 until Lincoln's election as President in 1860.

We stopped by the museum gift shop, which was full of books about Lincoln's life.  Go here to read about two exceptional picture books I reviewed about Abraham Lincoln in a past blog post.

Did you know...?

In 1860, eleven-year-old Grace Bedell wrote to Lincoln suggesting he grow a beard: "let your whiskers grow...you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you and then you would be President."

Last beardless photo - August 13, 1860

The President-Elect responded, "As to the whiskers, have never worn any. Do you not think people would call it a silly affection if I were to begin it now?" 

Photograph taken two days before
he left Springfield en route to Washington, DC,
for his inauguration - February 9, 1861

Well, the next time he visited his barber William Florville, he announced, "Billy, let's give them a chance to grow." By the time he began his inaugural journey by rail from Illinois to Washington, D.C., he had a full beard.  [source and more photos: go here]

In 1909, President Lincoln appeared on a one-cent coin and became the first American president to have his face appear on a regular-issue American coin.

Go here for more information, photos, and virtual tours of the Lincoln Home.

Travel Tip:  Stop in for food, fun decor and art, and great coffee at Wm. Van's Coffee, right across the street from the Lincoln Home historical site.

If you're interested in visiting more Lincoln sites, there are quite a few places that you can visit, as outlined in the book In Lincoln's Footsteps: A Historical Guide to the Lincoln Sites in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky.

The d'Aulaires: Artists and Historians

Edgar Parin was born in Switzerland on September 30, 1898. He took his mother's name, d'Aulaire, when he became an artist.

Edgar and Ingri d'Aulaire

Edgar met Ingri Mortenson at art school in Munich in 1921. The couple married in Norway, then moved to Paris. As Bohemian artists, they often talked about emigrating to America. “The enormous continent with all its possibilities and grandeur caught our imagination,” Edgar later recalled. They immigrated to New York in 1929.

The couple collaborated on their first children's book, The Magic Rug, at the suggestion of a New York city librarian in 1931. Next came three books - the first of which is Ola - steeped in the Scandinavian folktales of Ingri’s childhood in Norway.

What a cute book!!!  source

Next they shifted their attention to books featuring American heroes such as Pocohantas, Benjamin Franklin and Buffalo Bill, before turning to the realm of mythology.

The husband and wife team eventually produced over 20 picture books for children. The D'Aulaires established the picture book biography as a valued staple of library collections. They worked as a team on both the art and text throughout their joint career.

here - from Beautiful Feet Books

Originally, the d'Aulaires used stone lithography for their illustrations. A single four-color illustration required four slabs of Bavarian limestone (one for each color), with each stone weighing up to two hundred pounds! The technique gave their illustrations a wealth of authentic detail and vibrancy. 

source

In the early 1960s, when this process became too expensive, the d’Aulaires switched to acetate sheets which closely mimicked the texture of lithographic stone. (Many of the old stones are now housed in the University of Minnesota's Kerlan Collection.)

The d’Aulaires' career spanned nearly five decades. They were working on a new book when Ingri died in 1980 at the age of seventy-five. Edgar continued working until he died in 1985 at the age of eighty-six.

Abraham Lincoln received a Caldecott Medal in 1940 and the d'Aulaires received the Catholic Library Association's Regina Medal for "distinguished contribution to children's literature." The D'Aulaire's Trolls was a New York Times outstanding book of 1971.

[sources: New York Review Books and The Children's Literature Network.]

Have you seen their picture books for young children?  Book of Animals, Too Big, and The Two Cars - here, for ages 2-5.

Or their folklore collection? Norse Myths, Trolls, The Terrible Troll Bird - here, for ages 5-12.

here, for ages 5-12

FEBRUARY: A PRESIDENTIAL MONTH

If you're looking for some captivating children's picture books about our two U.S. presidents born in February - Abraham Lincoln on the 12th and George Washington on the 22nd - you won't be disappointed with the choices available from BEAUTIFUL FEET BOOKS!  These books and their authors (who also happen to be the illustrators) are exceptional! 

EDGAR AND INGRI D'AULAIRE BOOKS

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

The D'Aulaires (husband and wife) began writing and illustrating picture book biographies that were first published for young children in the 1930's. The figures in their colorful folkart style drawings almost have a paper-doll look, which appeals greatly to kids. (In fact their illustrations of George Washington are intentionally supposed to help children conjure up images of rocking horses and toy soldiers!)  All their books are historically accurate and full of authentic detail, a result of the couple's countless hours of research at libraries and their travel to historic sites for each of their books.  And the results are breathtakingly beautiful books! (1st - 6th grade)


  
GENEVIEVE FOSTER BOOKS

George Washington's World

Abraham Lincoln's World

Genevieve Foster's books present a cross-section of history. Her historical figures are introduced and explored amidst the interconnecting events going on around the world at that time in the areas of politics, science, art, literature, and medicine. In the 1940's, her new approach to historical literature, versus just showing biographical subjects in isolation, really brought their stories to life for her young readers. She developed this style of writing from struggling herself, as a student, to better learn and understand history. Her own vivid line drawings, detailed maps, and timelines wonderfully complete these books. (4th grade and up)

BEAUTIFUL FEET BOOKS is a publisher and curriculum source especially loved by homeschooling families.  You can learn more about these titles, and order from their online catalog, here on their website.