William Marshall Swayne

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William Marshall Swayne worked at the Treasury Department in the United States during the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Swayne sculpted a bust of Lincoln while he posed for him and recited poetry to visitors.

The Division of Politics and Reform at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center, (NMAH) houses a bust of Abraham Lincoln created by Swayne. It was donated to the Smithsonian in 1940 by Swayne's heirs through Richard B. Swayne and Marion Swayne Richter. It is bronzed plaster and is 30" high by 19" wide. It is marked, "W.M. Swayne, Scpr. June 8, 1864."

The bust is not currently on public view; however, it is stored in a crate at NMAH. It is not possible to uncrate the bust for a special viewing. The sculpture was last on view in 1999 when it was lent to the Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for an exhibition titled "Lincoln from Life."

Black and white photographic images of the sculpture can be ordered from the Smithsonian Institute Photographic Services Office.