Knocking out the Monuments: Lincoln Memorial
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 11:00AM 
One of the unique benefits I have as a DC tour guide, is not only seeing and experiencing the monuments, memorials, museums, etc. through my own eyes, but through those of countless visitors I usher around our fair city. I get to meet a good cross section of Americans (and occasionally foreign guests) and I am perennially fascinated by their reactions, by what we hold in common, and by what we take in differently.
While stereotypes abound, and generalizations are easy to come by, most groups, no matter their background, tend to oooh and ahhh at the same points; get bored with the same things, and be struck emotionally at the same time. I particularly enjoy using my visitors viewpoints to judge the success and failure of the architects, sculptors, and other artists whose works dot the Mall. After all, as you learn in the first week of economics, value is determined by what someone will pay for an item, not what experts claim it is. Through the eyes of my thousands of visitors I can judge the value of these works far better than august Planning Commissions, Institutes of Architects, boards, critics, and even my own personal judgment. If the masses get it, it works. If they are left scratching their heads, it failed. Art, to me, is only successful if it evokes an emotion; and I'm privileged to get to see how many people react to the same thing.
I mention all this, because our last stop on this little tour, the Lincoln Memorial is by far the most successful of all the Presidential monuments, using the above definition. My hat's off to Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of Lincoln in the Memorial. Theoretically, my objections to the Jefferson Memorial should apply to the Lincoln. It's just a big statue of a guy in a neoclassical temple. But it's not the same at all, and that is entirely a result of the artistry of French in creating a work that captures some of the weight that Lincoln wore about him like a cloak.
It's all the more impressive in that there is no surprise as to what you're going to see. Everyone is ready for it. You've seen him in movies, in pictures, in history books, and countless other bits of our collective zeitgeist. And if somehow you have not, just flip over a penny or a five dollar bill, and there he is. But still, despite my visitors familiarity, Lincoln still evokes a reaction as they walk up to him.
And the walk is part of the experience. As you walk up the 57 steps (of no significance, by the way), you are ascending as if you are a supplicant. But the statue is not heroic (in the classic sense). He's not triumphant; he is, if anything, resigned to his fate. Martyrdom, sacrifice, satisfaction, sorrow, wisdom, and a dozen other thoughts share space in his face. I've seen it hundreds of times, and it still hits me, in a way that sculptures of equal significance do not.
Besides the pilgrimage portion of your visit, you'll want to take the time to explore the rest of the Memorial. On the ground level there is a nice little museum, elevators (for the handicapped, you lazy bastards!), and the ever important restrooms. You may want to spend a minute reading the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. Sure, you've read them before, but they make more sense here. You'll also want to find the exact spot Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech. And finally, despite the Park Service's linguistic contortions, there IS a misspelled word in the first paragraph of the Second Inaugural. So, with high hope for the euture, I leave you to find it.
Lincoln Memorial, NPS, National Mall 
Reader Comments (7)
I grew up near Niagara Falls. It was always a thrill to take new people to see the Falls for the first time. Again, they've seen pictures and film, but it just isn't the same until you're standing at the top looking down.
I used to work for an organization that has one of the copies of the Gettysburg Address written in Lincoln's hand. It was encapsulated in between glass, and we could take it out to show researchers and other guests. It was always awe-inspiring.
It's the little details that make the Lincoln impressive. I like the Jefferson, but probably this is due more to specific memories of sitting on the steps looking out at the Tidal Basin at night and talking with friends than the actual attributes of the Jefferson. This, of course, was back in the day when you could drive right up the Jefferson.
But the Lincoln. Now that's a different story. Much more symbolism in its design (the state names around the top, for example), and really spectacular views from all sides. I love sitting on the back edge, looking toward the Potomac and watching the sun set.
Back in the mid-'80s when I was in Cub Scouts the NPS gave tours of the vast area underneath the Lincoln Memorial. As I recall, there were wooden walkways that snaked around and you could see the giant concrete support columns for the structure. I can't find anything online suggesting that such tours still exist and in today's security climate, I'm sure they're gone for good. In the area where the restrooms are, there was once a window that allowed you to peer down into the area under the memorial. The last time I was there, a few years ago, the window was gone.
Yes, It's all the more impressive in that there is no surprise as to what you're going to see. Everyone is ready for it. You've seen him in movies, in pictures, in history books, and countless other bits of our collective zeitgeist.
Memorials are landmarks, occasions, celebration, or even institutions and organization put up to pay tribute to important events or personalities. These memorials can be found in every culture and in every generation.
I am a tour guide too, and it is the same feelings as yours that you feel proud that you are able to show what your city can offer to them. It always amaze me that my city could also take their breath away. Traveling helps everybody appreciate one's culture, one's heritage and one's nature.
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