Digital Repository

Turzak, Aspirations, 1933

Long an admirer of historical figures, Charles Turzak’s first biographical volume, Abraham Lincoln: Biography in Woodcuts, tells its story only through pictures. He cut the thirty-six wood blocks for the images while in public view at the 1933 Century of Progress, Chicago World’s Fair in the Lincoln Village. The book was printed later in the year in an edition of 1,500 copies, which were all personally signed and numbered by the artist. This image shows Lincoln and his wife, Mary Todd, ascending toward the White House and the presidency.

Charles Turzak, Aspirations, 1933. Woodcut. From Abraham Lincoln: Biography in Woodcuts. © Charles Turzak Studio/Gallery, Orlando, Florida. Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas