Abraham Lincoln Comes Alive at the California Museum

California Hall of Fame honors individuals who embody California's innovative spirit. (Cathy Wei/The Epoch Times)

President Abraham Lincoln was a remarkable leader. The contents from his pockets reveal a humble and down-to-earth man. Two pairs of spectacles and a lens polisher, a pocket knife, a watch fob, a linen handkerchief, and a five-dollar Confederate note, these were the objects carried by Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States, when he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. These are but a few of the items currently in a special exhibit at the California Museum in Sacramento. These items remained with the Lincoln family for more than 70 years after Lincoln’s death. Now, they join the nearly 200 artifacts as part of a special Lincoln collection belonging to the U.S. Library of Congress.

The exhibition titled “With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition,” in commemoration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Lincoln, is on display at the California Museum, the first stop of five cities in the country and the only stop on the West Coast.

The California Museum is located just a block from the California Capitol, within the California Secretary of State building complex. Originally named the Golden State Museum, it opened in June 1998 to showcase various items from the State Archives.

In 2005, not long after Arnold Schwarzenegger assumed office as the Governor of California, First Lady Maria Shriver took on the role as Honorary Chairperson of the Museum. The Governor and First Lady contribute their time and leadership to improve the museum.

The California Museum’s main mission is to educate and engage the public about California’s history, women, and the arts. The ongoing exhibit “California’s Remarkable Women” showcases approximately 200 California women and their significant roles and achievements. Approximately 50,000 students from all over the state visit the museum annually for a unique educational experience.

The California Hall of Fame is a major component of the museum. Conceived by Maria Shriver, this prestigious Governor’s award is intended to honor individuals who embody California’s innovative spirit and their contributions to the state, the nation, and the world. Candidates of the Hall of Fame are chosen annually every November by the Museum Board. Artifacts or original materials of the current year’s inductees are on display in the dedicated Hall of Fame space. Among the 12 inductees of 2008 are Jane Fonda, Leland Stanford, Julia Morgan, and Jack Nicholson.

The Lincoln Exhibition has proven to be very popular. Ashley Robinson, the Communication Manager of the museum, pointed out a detail among the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night he was assassinated. One of the pairs of spectacles has a broken leg. The President just crudely fixed it with a small piece of twine. Ms. Robinson highlighted her favorite item in the exhibit, a scrapbook with newspaper clippings and occasional handwritten notes in the margins. The purpose of this book was to help Lincoln, then campaigning for the U.S. Senate, prepare for his debates. “He actually cut the papers and pasted them, and wrote these notes. It’s so humanizing,” Ms. Robinson remarked.

Also worth noting is the small burgundy velvet-covered Bible with gilded edges. This was the Bible where Lincoln placed his hand when he took the oath to be the President of United States on March 4, 1861. On Jan. 20, 2009, the Bible was used again at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

In addition, the Lincoln Exhibition includes the initial draft of the Emancipation Proclamation which ended slavery in America; the earliest known draft of the Gettysburg Address; and hundreds of other handwritten letters, historical photographs, and artifacts.

The Lincoln Exhibition will close on Saturday, Aug. 22. After the California Museum, the exhibition will travel to the Newberry Library in Chicago, the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, the Atlanta History Center, and the Durham Museum in Omaha, Nebraska.

Coming in October to the California Museum is “Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television,” a part of Hollywood film history. The exhibition examines many costumes used in classic movies by famous artists. It offers museum visitors new ways of seeing characters as defined by their costumes.

For more information about the California Museum, visit www.californiamuseum.org.