Lincoln photo exhibit debuting at Pittsburgh museum
The exhibit will also feature Lincoln artifacts from his time as the 16th U.S. President.
About 100 photos will be shown at the Lincoln exhibit, which opens to the public May 1.
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 after a grant allowed the museum to renovate its first floor as it will hold the largest display of Abraham Lincoln photographs beginning May 1.
Approximately 100 photographs from both pre- and post-Civil War will accompany artifacts from the 16th president, including the last copy of the 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 five-dollar 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 history. “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 entire year of it being shown – ending on April 30, 2018 – based on the loan time of the different artifacts that accompany the framed pictures.
With the new space being ADA accessible, Klein plans on inviting students along with senior citizens to experience the captured history.
“Most museums now display things just from the 20th century,” he said. “I felt like there was 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.
Cost for admission to the event is $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and kids five to 11 years old are free.