1876 Lincoln portrait gift to Batavia library

Submitted by Batavia Public Library

The Batavia Public Library will unveil its new “old” portrait of Abraham Lincoln, at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the library, 10 S. Batavia Ave. The public is invited to watch the unveiling.

The portrait was painted by Ellen Sibley Fuller of West Springfield, Mass., in 1876.

Over the years it was passed down through her family and moved from Massachusetts to Illinois to Texas.

The portrait is a gift from the estate of Virginia M. Douglas who was a Batavia resident from 1957 to 1992. Douglas was Fuller’s granddaughter. The artist’s great-granddaughters, Jan Takle of Pasadena, Calif., and Trish Fechner of Carrollton, Texas, contacted library Director George H. Scheetz last fall and offered the portrait as a gift to the library, stating that “Aunt Ginny loved to spend time at your library and would have wanted this painting to be returned to the Land of Lincoln.”

The painting was appraised and has an estimated value of $6,500. It will be displayed above the fireplace in the Library Leaders Reading Room — facing west.

In early 2011, the painting was taken to the Chicago Conservation Center for treatment, which included cleaning, restoration, and reframing. During the appraisal process, it was determined that the frame was mostly likely original to the painting but in poor condition. It was decided that the value of the frame did not warrant restoration. The conservation cost of the painting was $2,710 and the new frame cost $540.

After the unveiling and before the board of library trustees meeting at 7 p.m., library Director George H. Scheetz will point out the library’s recent remodeling projects on the upper level, including the new small study rooms, the relocated stained glass, the book sale corner sponsored by the Friends of the Batavia Public Library, and new display area in the lobby.