<p>In 1909 the Lincoln Centennial Memorial Association of Nebraska commissioned Daniel Chester French to create a monumental statue of Abraham Lincoln for the grounds of the state capitol. The association ran out of funds toward the end of the project and in lieu of a final payment, they permitted French to sell bronze casts of the original statue, of which at least 11 were made at New York’s Roman Bronze Works. With his head tilted downward, Lincoln is depicted in a moment of deep thought. French explained that he had “purposely tried to represent Lincoln bearing the burdens and perplexities and problems of the Great War.”</p>