Lincoln Exhibition at The Reagan Presidential Library

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth

on this continent a new nation,

conceived in liberty 

and dedicated to the proposition 

that all men are bread equal.

~Abraham Lincoln

Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863

Pocket Watch of Abraham Lincoln

Life and Times of Abraham Lincoln

June 1, 2013 - September 30, 2013

At the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Simi Valley, California

from the website: 

"Twenty-five renowned Lincoln collectors and DreamWorks Studios join the Reagan Library for a major Abraham Lincoln Exhibit. objects on display include President Lincoln's famous stovepipe hat, a bloodied pillow from the night he died, a Lincoln-signed Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment, and sets from DreamWorks' "Lincoln" Movie."

Stovepipe hat of Abraham Lincoln. He used to store things in his hat, while he was wearing it! Amazing to imagine this was on his head ...

Lincoln is my nephew's favorite president, so this summer my parents and I decided to take him to the Lincoln Exhibition, at the Reagan Presidential Library. It was amazing to see many of his personal items and writings, in person. I'm so happy we made it!

Leather case, belonging to Mary Todd Lincoln 

Sets and costumes from the film Lincoln, by Stephen Spielberg 

... I know that the Lord is always on the side of right.

But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I

and this nation be on the Lord's side.

~ Abraham Lincoln, 

Set of Lincoln's office, from the film, Lincoln.

I walk slowly, 

but I never walk backward.

~Abraham Lincoln

One of many handwritten letters and speeches by Lincoln, in the exhibition ...

The better part of one's life consists of friendships ...

~Abraham Lincoln 

letter to Joseph Gillespie, 1849

Lincoln Presidential China - Lincoln chose the eagle, Mary chose the purple border, her favorite color.

Sleeping bonnet of Mary Todd Lincoln

Gutta-percha cases. It was common practice in the 19th century to carry one of these little cases with a photo and lock of hair. Above, Abraham Lincoln, and below, his son Willie who died in the white House in 1862, at the age of eleven.

Mary's gloves ...

My dad showing Benjamin, my nephew, remnants of the Civil War.

Below, medical tools of the time ... pretty horrific.

I pray that our Heavenly Father 

may assuage the anguish of your bereavement,

and leave you only the cherished memory 

of the loved and lost,

and the solemn pride that must be yours

to have laid so costly a sacrifice 

upon the altar of freedom.

~Abraham Lincoln

Letter to Lydia Bixby November 21, 1864

Uniforms of the civil war.

Below, the quill pen with which President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery

I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

~Abraham Lincoln

Speech to One Hundred Fortieth Indiana Regiment

March 17, 1865

One of several pieces of election paraphernalia, this campaign banner was from Logan County, Illinois, 1860.

Our reliance is in the love of liberty

which God has planted in our bosoms.

Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit

which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men,

in all lands,

everywhere.

~ Abraham Lincoln

Speech at Chicago, 1858

Grand Reception of the Notabilities of the Nation, 

at the White House 1865 

Hand colored engraving

(On the evening of the 2nd inauguration)

-Lincoln shook hands with an estimated 5 to 6 thousand people.

A fragment of the coat he was wearing, during the assassination, at Ford's Theater.

Mock up of the bedroom, where he was taken, after being shot. The pillow is the actual pillow on which he died, at the Peterson Boarding house, near Ford's Theater.

Steel engraving of Ulysses S. Grant, 1868

William E. Marshall

My nephew loved it, when we told him that U.S. Grant is actually his relative! ... A distant cousin or uncle. I'm not sure, my sister is the genealogy expert.

Anyway, these were such gorgeous engravings! Difficult to photograph, because of an incredible amount of glare. You can see that I took the photos, from an angle, but they lovely and detailed, with so much dignity and humanity. I love them.

Steel engraving of Abraham Lincoln, 1868

William E. Marshall

Peace does not appear so distant as it did.

I hope it will come soon,

and come to stay;

and so come as to be worth the keeping 

in all future time.

~Abraham Lincoln

Letter to James Conkling, August 1863

This 37 Star United States flag, was laid upon the casket of President Lincoln, in Philadelphia, PA., Independence Hall, April 21, 1865.

The library is in Simi Valley, up on a hill. Great views but quite windy! Below, is where we sat and had lunch.

Views from the Presidential Library

A piece of the Berlin Wall

And, of course, my nephew had to see it again ... Air Force One!

This plane flew 7 presidents, including Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush. 

It's funny to see how un-techie it is. We forget how much has changed! Like the huge telephones and clunky VCRs and other equipment. Let's just say ... it's not exactly swanky or sleek inside. 

They don't let you take pictures inside the plane.

Air Force One Pavilion 

Boys love planes. Here's Ben. :)

The exhibition runs through September 30, 2013.

 Click here for more information.

Ken Burns, The Civil War: The Gettysburg Address

I leave you,

hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms 

until there shall no longer be a doubt

that all men are created free

and

equal.

~Abraham Lincoln

Blessings and light!

(I'm almost caught up on summer posting - back to Italy soon!)

Next Stop ~ Our Lady of the Angeles ~ Los Angeles Cathedral

Cathedral

Of Our Lady of the Angels

designed by José Rafael Moneo

built 1999-2002

Our Lady of the Angels

Sculpture by Robert Graham, Los Angeles

I'd driven by the "new" cathedral many times ... on my way to the framer in China Town, to Disney Hall, The Museum of Contemporary Art and ... jury duty ... but I'd never made it inside, or even into the courtyard area. My sister hadn't either. 

My sister being a designer, and having heard all about the different design aspects, and also that the artist who designed the tapestries has his studio in Ojai (where she lives,) she was also very interested in going in.

We'd left Olvera Street and had about a half our window to check out Our Lady of the Angels. 

This gorgeous painting is in the south ambulatory, after you walk into the church.

The Neophyte

Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

One of my favorite things about the Cathedral, are the alabaster windows, that softly bath the interior with a warm, soft light. There are some 33,500 square feet of alabaster windows, "the largest single use of alabaster windows in the world."

There are 12 bronze "Dedication Candle Holders" in the nave, by Southern California sculptor, Max DeMoss. The twelve represents the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles. Isn't this one wonderful?

Communion of Saints Tapestries

by John Nava

25 tapestries, depict 135 saints and blesseds, from around the world, along with 12 untitled figures, including children of all ages, which "represent the anonymous holy people in our midst."

"The large stone texture patterns used in the background of the Communion of Saints are from actual scans of excavations of the Via Dolorosa, in Jerusalem, from the time of the Romans."

Some of the saints and blesseds, like Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII, were created with likenesses from photos, but others ... my sister recognized as people she knows, who live in Ojai, and who must have served as models for the saints! She was pointing at different saints and saying ..."That looks like so and so..." 

Anyway, I thought the tapestries were beautiful.

You can see Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII, in the tapestry below.

Behind the Baptismal Font, a set of five tapestries with a "central depiction of Jesus being baptized by St. John the Baptist in the River Jordan."  The tapestries are 47 1/2 feet high and 7 feet wide.

The Baptistery

The four red carnelian granite fonts, are on each corner of the immersion pool, and have a continuous flow of water.

Chapel of Our Lady of Guadeloupe 

Adoption

Christopher Slatoff, 2011

Saint Joseph the Worker with young Jesus

(so sweet!)

This chapel had vestments of Pope John Paul II, from his visit to Los Angeles.

Spanish Baroque retablo

17th Century

Originally made for the Chapel of Saint Philip Neri, at Ezcaray, Spain

Silhouette of Saint, before an alabaster window.

For more about the Cathedral, architect and artists who created the work inside, click here.

I was happy to have made it to this somewhat new landmark in my city! And on a completely different note .... I've been watching all these old movies I've been renting from Netflix. 3 Rita Hayworth movies, in a row! First I watched Gilda, then You Were Never Lovelier with Fred Astaire, then You'll Never Get Rich, also with Fred. That girl was adorable! I know this isn't news but I had to say it. Gorgeous, of course but crazy likable too.

From You'll Never Get Rich

From You Were Never Lovelier

And of course Gilda, where she's tipsy and messing with her man (who is being a total jerk - to put it nicely!)

I love Netflix. (And apparently YouTube!)

Anyway ... Happy August everyone!!!

Blessings and light!

At any moment, you have a choice,

that either leads you

closer to your spirit 

or further away from it.

~Thich Nhat Hanh