While it’s no doubt Lincoln’s legacy and image can be found throughout Washington, D.C. and the world over, we wanted to share the strangest places we’ve spotted the 16th president. We’d love to hear from you, too! If you spot Abe in a funny place, tag us @LincolnsCottage and use the hashtag #ISpyAbe. Without further ado, here’s our list:
SPOTTED IN:
CARLINVILLE, ILLINOIS
“The strangest place I’ve seen Lincoln is my mom’s hometown of Carlinville, IL. It’s basically the midwestern version of the fictional small town in Gilmore Girls. I believe Lincoln sneezed once in the town square, so they commissioned a mural of him entitled ‘Abraham Lincoln: Carlinville Lawyer.’ To their credit, it’s home to the county courthouse, and Lincoln did practice law there on occasion. Perhaps it’s an exaggeration to claim him as a ‘Carlinville lawyer,’ but you gotta respect their moxie. Here is a delightfully absurd photo of my cousin Henry and me in front of the mural.” – Taylor Horst
FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA
“I saw an Abe reference at Chatham Mansion in Fredericksburg, VA. Lincoln visited there during the Civil War. Picture below. I think it speaks for itself.” – Amy Benjamin
CUBA
“I saw a bust of Lincoln in the Museum of the Revolution in Cuba. It was the former Presidential Palace. Even communists love Lincoln! Everybody loves him!” – Michelle Martz
Interestingly, a bust of Lincoln is also in a separate park in Cuba
SOME VAMPIRE MOVIE
“I once saw this movie and the premise was basically that Lincoln hunted vampires. I can’t remember the name of the movie off the top of my head, but parts of the story didn’t really add up to me…” – Sahand Miraminy
DOWNTOWN PHILADELPHIA
“I’m not sure if this is THE weirdest place I’ve seen him, but I was startled to see him rocking out on this (strangely dated?) ad in downtown Philly…” – Joan Cummins
SHIRTLESS IN A FABRIC STORE
“I first saw [fabric with a shirtless Abraham Lincoln] when a colleague at another museum sent me a snapshot of the pattern after stumbling across it at a fabric store. Who is the target audience for fabric covered in buff, shirtless depictions of Founding Fathers plus Abraham Lincoln?”- Erin Carlson Mast
(Google this if you dare)
WITH AN AFRO AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS (Washington, D.C.)
“I snapped this photo while at a friend’s black tie wedding at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This amazing piece is part of their collection — it’s called Afro Abe II by a DC artist named Sonya Clark.” – Nora Cobo
HEURICH HOUSE (Washington, D.C.)
THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION (Washington, D.C.)
AN AD AROUND WASHINGTON, D.C.
“This is one of my favorite ads that uses Lincoln.” – Zach Klitzman
LONDON, ENGLAND
“Surrounded by statues of famous British politicians, as well as Gandhi, this statue of Lincoln lies in Parliament Square in London right across from Big Ben.” – Zach Klitzman
A STICKER IN FRANCE
“While I was in France back in September, my girlfriend and I went to a winery out in the Loire Valley. While chatting with one of the owners, he eventually asked what my girlfriend and I did for work. With my girlfriend translating (I speak absolutely zero French), I attempted to explain President Lincoln’s Cottage. The man’s face lit up and he went to the back room, brought out a journal that had a sticker on it with the oft-attributed Lincoln quote: “Whatever you are, be a good one.” I asked where he got it and he mentioned that it was left behind years ago by a customer at a place he used to work and he held onto it. He spoke very little English, but said he liked the design on the sticker, so he kept it. No other explanation was given.” – Nathaniel Hodges
SOME BAR IN BLOOMINGDALE (Washington, D.C.)
“One of my favorite Mary Todd Lincoln sightings was at a bar in Bloomingdale. The place was cash-only and incredibly hip, and the bathroom was completely pasted with random magazine clippings to make a collage all over. I spied the famous Mary Lincoln/Abe as-a-ghost-over-her-shoulder portrait peeking out on the bathroom door between a mutant baby cow and a vintage Playboy advertisement. I laughed and took a photo to document it. Who thought: you know what this collage needs? A mourning portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln with an Abe ghost.” – Jenny Phillips
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