Abraham Lincoln exhibit debuts at Pittsburgh museum
The exhibit will feature Lincoln artifacts from his time as the 16th U.S. President.
About 100 photos will be shown at the Lincoln exhibit, which opens Monday to the public.
When Bruce Klein opened the Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History in Pittsburgh 22 years ago, it was about creating something different by displaying and preserving the history of images from the 19th century.
Klein will have one of the more meaningful exhibitions when the largest display of Abraham Lincoln photographs opens Monday. The exhibition was made possible after a grant allowed the museum to renovate its first floor.
About 100 photographs from both pre- and post-Civil War will accompany artifacts from the 16th president, including a copy of the last check he wrote before being assassinated, a replica of a Derringer gun used to assassinate him and photos used of Lincoln for the penny and $5 bill.
“It’s a great satisfaction that we are able to finally see this come together,” the Oakdale resident said of the six years it took to acquire the artifacts. “There were a lot of obstacles and hurdles we had to overcome, but it gives people an opportunity to see something that’s very educational. It will take somebody a good hour to look through everything.”
The exhibit will change throughout the year, based on the loan time of the different artifacts that accompany the framed pictures.
With the new space being ADA accessible, Klein plans to invite students and senior citizens to experience the captured history.
“Most museums now display things just from the 20th century,” he said. “I felt like there was a void in photography that needed to be filled. As we decided to move toward the 19th century, we found there was an interest in people wanting to see older things. Simple things like what the buildings looked like or how people dressed. With digital photography today, you just snap a button. When I show visitors 170-year-old photos, they are able to feel a sense of history.”
The museum, located on 531 E. Ohio St. in Pittsburgh, held an invite-only session of the Lincoln exhibit April 20.
Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens. Children 5 to 11 years old are free.