Obama might get portrait in state Capitol

SPRINGFIELD - One of the first official honors for President Barack Obama in his home state could be a painting of himself overlooking House lawmakers at the state Capitol.

"It is important that we accommodate the importance of the new president," said state Rep. Eddie Washington, a Waukegan Democrat. "The first black president is of much greater significance here."

A downstate lawmaker has introduced a resolution to switch out a portrait of Illinois Sen. Stephen Douglas, a Democrat who ran against Abraham Lincoln for president, with Obama, and it is already gaining support.

State Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, a majority floor leader, seems on board.

"We need to honor the new president, and this may be the most appropriate way to do so," said the Chicago Democrat.

The change from Douglas to Obama would balance the ornate House chamber, giving both parties an Illinoisan president watching over them.

Currently, a recently restored portrait of Abraham Lincoln from 1867 hangs on the Republican side. Douglas hangs on the Democratic side.

Bringing in Obama would also create a new dynamic to the overall effect, given that Lincoln is credited with freeing slaves and Obama is the first black president.

The portraits of Lincoln and Douglas originally hung in the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln served, and have been hanging in their current positions since 1877, the first year the General Assembly occupied the building.

If approved, the Obama painting will likely still need to be created. Other recent portraits in the Capitol cost $15,000.

The resolution calls for the 1869 portrait of Douglas to be moved to an alternative location in the Capitol that is "appropriate and dignified."