Visit the Exhibition

The National Portrait Gallery commemorates the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth with this "One Life" exhibition which draws primarily on the Portrait Gallery's extensive collection of Lincoln portraits. The exhibition provides many faces of Lincoln for the public to ponder, charting Lincoln's passage from fresh-faced congressman to his isolation as president. It is one of the rare times that the original cracked-plate portrait of Lincoln by Alexander Gardner will be displayed. (In order to preserve the original, a facsimile of the photograph is usually on view). Historian David Ward is the exhibition curator. The exhibition opened on November 7, 2008, and closed on July 5, 2009.

 

>>Take a free audio tour of the exhibition! While you are visiting the exhibition, follow the instructions on the wall and use your cell phone to access the audio. Or download the tour to your mp3 player before you visit.


 


The National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, tells the stories of America through the individuals who have shaped U.S. culture. Through the visual arts, performing arts, and new media, the Portrait Gallery portrays poets and presidents, visionaries and villains, actors and activists who speak American history.

 

Location: The National Portrait Gallery is conveniently located at Eighth and F Streets, NW, in Washington D.C., above the Gallery Place–Chinatown Metrorail station (red, yellow, and green lines).

Museum Hours: 11:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. daily. Closed December 25.

Admission: FREE

 

For more information on visiting the museum, please visit the National Portrait Gallery's Web site.



Lincoln at 200: Smithsonian-wide Events and Programs

In commemoration of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth in 1809, the Smithsonian Institution presents a yearlong celebration offering visitors a unique immersion experience and an opportunity to explore the life and times of the nation's most mythic and transformative president. Meet world-renowned Lincoln scholars. Relive scenes from Lincoln's second inaugural ball. Walk in his footsteps, tour city sites from the Lincoln era.


 

>>Learn more about Lincoln Bicentennial exhibitions and events at other Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of American History, the National Postal Museum, and Smithsonian Associates.

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