The Eyes of Lincoln

It is said that Abraham Lincoln is the figure most often depicted in statuary in the District of Columbia, and the statue inside the Lincoln Memorial is certainly the most magnificent. Here we see the intent eyes of the Great Emancipator as he looks east toward the Washington Monument. The other view, of course, is of what those eyes would see.

The Man From Illinois

To me, a lifelong resident of the State of Illinois, the Lincoln Memorial is the base of the National Mall and it is the Parthenon of Memorials. At the foot of the Reflecting Pool and with a wonderful view of the Washington Monument, the Lincoln is simply majestic.

Inside, the Daniel Chester French statue is one of the most powerful, vivid and lifelike representations I have ever seen. Every visit to DC must include a courtesy call on Mr. President Lincoln, known back in Illinois as Honest Abe. May he rest in peace.

FDR With Tears

One FDR poem ran in the previous post, and here is the other, generated by the beauty and the power of the FDR Memorial.

FRANKLIN FOREVER

Our largest President in image, despite his polio-crippled legs, dominates as always.

Seven acres of lush greenery have his stamp on them as he is seen in various poses,

Sculpted in bronze, looking at Washington more than six decades after his death.

His gaze appears to seek out his predecessor Thomas Jefferson across the Basin,

Hoping somehow to share thoughts with the statesman from Virginia, as the rain

Runs in rivulets down his face and the sun comes out to dry him, letting the bronze

Oxidize into what looks a lot like tears. Perhaps because his dream of peace seems

Forgotten.

Still and Vibrant

The impressive quiet and contemplative mood of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial gave rise to not one but two poems. One is posted here, the other will be in the next post.

STILL AS STONE, VIBRANT AS WATERFALL

On our first visit to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial we were surprised that

Its scope was as wide as the Presidency it honors, all four terms, with each term an

Outdoor room, fitted with benches to sit down and contemplate, and filled with

Sound, the power of water cascading over stones in more than a dozen waterfalls.

The President sits, turned to his viewers, with Fala at his feet, ready to fetch,

Still as stone, surrounded by granite benches and walks and walls and falls,

Vibrant as the water rushing over the falls into the future, same old FDR forever.

Anyone can sit down and think; anyone can read I HATE WAR, carved into granite.

FDR

After we left the Jefferson Memorial, we went on to the newer Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, one of the sights we were most excited to see. Located along the Tidal Basin and carved into a quiet thickly wooded area, it is a sprawling reminder of the power and breadth of the Presidency of FDR.
With four "rooms," one for each term he was elected to, the memorial is filled with statuary and waterfalls. The first statue you come to, seen here, is the most controversial and it is actually outside the memorial proper. FDR, a victim of polio as an adult, spent much of his term in a wheelchair. With the expectations of the 1930s & 40s and with the need for a strong leader during the depression and World War II, FDR took great pains to keep the chair out of photos and out of the public eye.
When the memorial opened, no clear presence of the wheelchair were seen although it is somewhat represented in a statue to be seen in the next post. Complaints from organizations supporting people with disabilities led to this compromise. What I know of the strength of the President makes me feel he would approve, given the changing attitude toward people fighting such disabilities.

Jefferson Memorial

We used a Hop On Hop Off bus to take a tour of the city on Monday, staying on and getting the layout and location of the things we wanted to see. We hopped on Tuesday morning and used it for a point-to-point transportation system, starting at the south side of the Mall. Across the Tidal Basin from the Washington Monument, Jefferson stands tall to look north into the city.

View From the Top

The stairs are closed to the public now; once people could bypass the elevator line and climb to the observatory more than 700 steps up the Washington Monument. But the elevator line is well worth the wait.

What you see here is not what you see with the naked eye, of course; my 300 mm lens is the equivalent of a nice pair of binoculars.

Looking to the north you see the South Lawn of the White House looking much as it has for decades now. Looking west you could see the Lincoln Memorial if you looked outward, but looking sharply down you see the far newer World War II Memorial located nearly at the foot of the obelisk. It is quite impressive, as we will see in an upcoming post.