Victor David Brenner (Lithuanian/American, 1871-1924) Oversized plaque of Abraham Lincoln, 1907, bronze

Lot description

Victor David Brenner (Lithuanian/American, 1871-1924) Oversized plaque of Abraham Lincoln, 1907 bronze 14 1/2 x 11 1/4 in. Inscribed at bottom, "1809 Abraham Lincoln 1865", additionally inscribed at lower right, "V.D. Brenner, Sc." THE RARE OVERSIZE BRENNER PLAQUE. Victor David Brenner emigrated to the United States from Lithuania in 1890 and immediately enrolled at the Cooper Union to hone his craft as a sculptor and medalist. While working in New York, he became acquainted with Theodore Roosevelt, who posed for Brenner numerous times over the years. Upon winning a second term as president in 1904, Roosevelt sought to modernize the design of American currency, beginning with the penny. During this time, Brenner began work on a bas-relief of Abraham Lincoln based on a 1864 photograph by Mathew Brady, believing that the centennial of Lincoln's birth in 1909 would be a highly profitable time for high-quality likenesses of the sixteenth president. The first twenty-five plaques produced were made by Brenner himself and bear no additional manufacturing marks. Later versions of Brenner's plaques tend to be smaller and exhibit his mark rather than his signature. The image proved so popular that Teddy Roosevelt requested that Brenner create a scaled-down version for the United States penny; this coin would ultimately be the first to feature the likeness of a former president. This lot is located in Chicago.