Wood carvings of James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln
Description
Hand carved base(A) is a block of varnished pine molded top edge and two crudely gouged out recesses in top in which carved and painted figures stand. One on left is (B) James Buchanan and on right is (C) Abraham Lincoln.
Block is hand lettered in black paint in front of each figure: "JAMES BUCHANAN / 1856-1860" and "ABRAHAM LINCOLN / 1860-1865." Small bronze plate tacked to front has presidential seal at center surrounded by "ORIGINAL WHITE HOUSE MATERIAL / REMOVED IN 1950." Old nail holes in bottom.
Hand-carved by Rev. Howard Bare.
Provenance
Carved from two blocks of wood removed from White House. Kits sold to individuals for $2 included two blocks of wood meant to be carved into a gavel (one for head and the other for the handle). See Notes section and Object File for additional information.
Part of a kit that could be ordered from the White House renovation project; kit consisted of two pieces of wood intended for making a gavel (head and handle). Reverened Bare found an unusual way to use these pieces of wood.
See 2008.048 Object File for additional information: Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, July 2023, "White House Relics & The Stories They Tell."
