Long-Lost Lincoln Portrait from Theodore Roosevelt's Office to Debut at New Presidential Library

A portrait of Abraham Lincoln by American realist Ernest Wells, once displayed in President Theodore Roosevelt's office, has reemerged after a century. It will be exhibited at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, opening July 4. The painting, based on a daguerreotype from Lincoln's Cooper Union speech, was gifted by Roosevelt to Colonel William H. Crook, Lincoln's former bodyguard, after his presidency. Financial troubles led Crook to sell it to J.P. Morgan for $300 in January 1912 via librarian Belle da Costa Greene. Following Morgan's death, it was acquired privately and eventually passed to descendants of antique dealers Ann and Jack Rouchaud. After Ann Rouchaud's death in 2021, her nephews David Soderquist and his brother inherited the work, confirming its provenance with Roosevelt scholars. Soderquist has offered it on indefinite loan to the library, where senior curator Susan Sarna aims to purchase it pending valuation. Roosevelt's deep admiration for Lincoln stemmed from his father's friendship with the president and childhood memories of Lincoln's funeral. He often sought guidance from the portrait, asking, 'What would Lincoln do?' The painting's verso retains Crook's letter documenting its history. The library's opening coincides with America's 250th anniversary.