Association of Lincoln Presenters
Named afterAbraham Lincoln
Formation1990
FounderDan Bassuk
Founded atWhitehouse, New Jersey, United States
TypeNonprofit
PurposeHistorical society
President
Stanley Wernz[1]
Websitelincolnpresenters.com

The Association of Lincoln Presenters is a membership organization founded by Dan Bassuk in 1990. It was established as a members' society for impersonators of 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. The group has been the subject of a feature-length documentary and a photography exhibition by Greta Pratt.

History and members

The Association of Lincoln Presenters (ALP) was founded by literature professor and Lincoln impersonator Dan Bassuk in 1990 in Whitehouse, New Jersey.[2] New members were recruited via newspaper advertisements.[3] By 1994, the organization's membership had grown to 45,[4] six of whom participated in the televised Lincoln–Douglas debate reenactments on the public affairs network C-SPAN.[5] The inaugural ALP conference took place in Lexington, Kentucky the following year and was attended by 34 impersonators.[5] This became an annual event, visiting towns and cities around the US often chosen for their historical significance: the 2013 conference took place in Columbus, Ohio, where Lincoln briefly lay in state following his assassination in 1865;[6] while the 2018 event was held in Freeport, Illinois, one of the locations of the original Lincoln–Douglas debates.[7] The ALP celebrated its 25th annual conference in 2019 in Dawsonville, Georgia.[8]

As of 2022, the group's membership comprises more than 220 reenactors, with representatives from 40 of the 50 US states.[9] Besides Abraham Lincoln, ALP members also portray his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as other notable contemporary figures including Ulysses S. Grant and Harriet Beecher Stowe.[10] As impersonators, ALP members generally wear paraphernalia associated with Lincoln such as black coats, stovepipe hats and chinstrap beards.[11][12] Members of the group have appeared as Lincoln in various settings, including educational events, historical reenactments, weddings and acting roles.[13][14]

Mottos

The ALP has had several official mottos since its establishment. The first, "Now he belongs to the stages", used from the group's founding in 1990 until 1999,[15] was a deliberate misquote of the "Now he belongs to the ages" line uttered by Edwin Stanton following Lincoln's death.[16] A portion of the membership disapproved of the slogan, which was eventually replaced by the pun "Ready, Willing and Abe L.",[17] referring to the group members' availability to appear at public events.[10] By 2003, the ALP had adopted its third motto, "Would I Might Rouse the Lincoln in You All", a line taken from the poem "Lincoln" by Vachel Lindsay.[18]

Media coverage

In 2008, the group and its members were the subject of a feature-length documentary.[19] Being Lincoln: Men With Hats, directed by Nashville-based film maker Elvis Wilson, followed long-serving ALP member Dennis Boggs as he helps newcomer John Mansfield begin his career as a Lincoln presenter.[20][21] The idea behind the documentary came from Wilson's wife, Victoria Radford, who had learned about the group several years earlier while writing a book about the real Lincoln.[22] The film aired on the Documentary Channel and Showtime.[23]

Photographer Greta Pratt attended four ALP conferences, including the 2012 conference in Decatur, Illinois, taking photographs of the group's members as part of her Nineteen Lincolns project.[10] The collection was exhibited at the Candela Gallery in Richmond, Virginia in 2012,[24] and later at the Chrysler Museum of Art in 2015.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Abraham Lincoln Associations". abrahamlincolnonline.org. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ↑ Van Matre, Lynn (February 11, 1998). "Among Lincoln Presenters, 1 Voice Resounds". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ Miller, Martin (February 12, 1997). "Men of Character : Lincoln Impersonators Uphold Presidential Virtues". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  4. ↑ Williams, Frank J. (1995). "Lincolniana in 1994". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association (Summer 1995 ed.). Springfield, IL: Abraham Lincoln Association. 16 (2): 33–79. hdl:2027/spo.2629860.0016.206. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "History – The Association of Lincoln Presenters". lincolnpresenters.com. The Association of Lincoln Presenters. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  6. ↑ Stacy, Mitch (April 12, 2013). "Lincoln impersonators rub gangly elbows in Ohio". eu.timesonline.com. The Beaver County Times. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  7. ↑ Jaffe, Alexandra (May 1, 2018). "Here's what happens when dozens of Abe Lincolns descend on a small town in Illinois". vice.com. Vice News. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  8. ↑ Norman, Benjamin (April 16, 2019). "Inside an Annual Gathering of Abraham Lincoln Impersonators". time.com. Time. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Membership – The Association of Lincoln Presenters". lincolnpresenters.com. Association of Lincoln Presenters. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 Wogan, Hicks. "Abes Across America". National Geographic. Vol. 241, no. 4 (April 2022 ed.). pp. 6–12.
  11. ↑ Wolf Shenk, Joshua (February 2002). "Being Abe Lincoln". theatlantic.com. The Atlantic. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ Lanpher, Katherine (May 1, 2015). "Lincolnpalooza". projects.aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera America. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  13. ↑ Croke, Karen (February 12, 2018). "Making an honest living as an Abe Lincoln look-alike". eu.lohud.com. The Journal News. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  14. ↑ Carey, Bill (January 2020). "Tennessee Man Makes an Honest Living as Abe". tnmagazine.org. The Tennessee Magazine. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ Schneider, Rebecca (2011). Performing Remains: Art and War in Times of Theatrical Reenactment. Taylor & Francis. p. 32. ISBN 9781136979699.
  16. ↑ Schneider, p. 45
  17. ↑ Ferguson, Andrew (2008). Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America. Grove Atlantic. p. 154. ISBN 9781555848514.
  18. ↑ "History Repeats Itself". Forbes. September 15, 2003. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  19. ↑ O'Brien, Barbara (February 14, 2016). "Keeping Lincoln's history alive despite flunking social studies". buffalonews.com. The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  20. ↑ Ghianni, Tim (April 29, 2011). "Nashville residents find fulfillment as Abe Lincoln". tnledger.com. Nashville Ledger. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Being Lincoln: Men With Hats". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  22. ↑ Ridley, Jim (November 13, 2008). "Nashville filmmaker explores subculture where everyone is Abraham Lincoln". nashvillescene.com. Nashville Scene. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  23. ↑ "Elvis Wilson". networkisa.org. International Screenwriters' Association. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  24. ↑ Coppelman, Alyssa (November 9, 2012). "Take Your Hat Off to These 13 Abe Lincoln Impersonators". slate.com. Slate. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Nineteen Lincolns". chrysler.org. Chrysler Museum of Art. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
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