Lincoln lithograph on tin metal — 1931

A facsimile of Abraham Lincoln from the original picture made by George T. Story baked on metal.

Created by Gates Radio & Supply Company, Quincy, Illinois.

Includes the original typewritten sales proposal written to Lincoln Life Insurance Co., Indianapolis, Indiana dated June 24, 1931 and signed by the founder Henry C. Gates. A transcription of the letter can be found below.

Size: 18" x 22"

Shipping: $25. Please allow two weeks for shipping.

History behind Lincoln's Portrait

In June 1861, a young artist was invited to the White House to observe and make sketches of President Abraham Lincoln for a commission. George Henry Story (1835- 1923) became known as “the man that painted Lincoln”. His paintings of Lincoln have been acquired by the National Galleries in Washington, the White House, the Smithsonian Institution, the Huntington Library, the Metropolitan Museum, Lafayette College, and several historical sites in Illinois. Story had mastered the famous expression of Lincoln staring off the canvas. Lincoln's gaze is truly mesmerizing. The Capitol Building, off Lincoln's shoulder on right, glows as a beacon of hope in the background. The portrait and background evoke the consecrated feeling of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

Story's portraits of Lincoln are the most admired likenesses ever painted.

In 1918, famous art dealer, Charles Duveen, commissioned George Henry Story, then at age 81, to paint his final portrait of Abraham Lincoln (those being painted from life sketches by the artist). Story would paint the crown epilogue of his life's work.

Duveen sold the Lincoln portrait to Thompson for $67,000 (about $1,167,000 in today's dollars).

The image, acclaimed throughout the art world, was licensed by Gates Radio & Supply Company of Quincy, Illinois to produce baked tin chromite lithographs “exactly like the original”. Several hundred tins in two sizes, small 8” x 7” and a large 22” X 18”. This is one of the very few large tins known to exist today, having come directly from the collection of current owner of the original Lincoln portrait.

The tin is attached to a canvas covered stretcher with copies of the Gates Company letters, dated 1931, attached thereto as documentation of the tin productions and the original portrait being from the Duveen commission sold to Thompson.

Gates Radio & Supply Company
Quincy, Illinois.U.S.A.
June 24, 1931.

Lincoln Life Insurance Co., Indianapolis, Indiana.

Gentlemen:

We have on hand about two hundred or two hundred fifty Lincoln pictures 22" x 18" 1b eleven colors baked on metal. This is a facimile of the original picture made by George T. Story, now in the collection of John R. Thompson in Chicago and is a beautiful piece of art work. We also have on hand about sixteen hundred of the same picture about 8" x 7" in size.

These would be a nice piece of art work for advertising purposes, the larger pictures would be very nice for all of your various insurance offices.

There is no printing or advertising on these pictures es they were made for art store merchandise.

We could make you a very nice price on these pictures as we acquired them by buying some of the assets of the Van Doorn Company who went into liquidation. The larger pictures we understand sold for $5.00 each and the smaller ones $1.00 each. We would make you a price of 75% on the larger ones and 5 each on the smaller ones F.0.B. Quincy Illinois.

We believe that this is an opportunity for a real piece of high class art work that would apply to your particular company and would be very acceptable to your branch offices and the larger pictures would be very acceptable to your larger policy holders.

If you are interested, we would be very glad to send you a sample of both pictures.

Yours very truly,

GATES RADIO & SUPPLY COMPANY.

H.C. Gates

Learn more about the history of the Gates Radio & Supply Company here.