Lincoln the Railsplitter

Norman Rockwell has become synonymous with American Iconography. His depiction, here, of the quintessential, up-by-the-bootstraps, “honest” Abe Lincoln makes Lincoln the Railsplitter a truly special part of our permanent collection. The painting was first commissioned by the Lincoln Bank of Spokane, where its popularity led the bank to use “The Railsplitter” in their logo, and for other commercial purposes. In this nearly life-sized painting, Rockwell presents Abraham Lincoln as a heroic figure at his very first job as a surveyor. It is said that Norman Rockwell visited every location associated with Lincoln – from Kentucky to Illinois to Washington, D.C. Rockwell wrote of this piece, “I hope this painting might inspire the youth of this land to appreciate this man who believed so much in the power of education.”