The Lincoln bust at Cornell University's Uris Library. (Dr. Randy Wayne )
The school told Fox News Digital that same month the bust was removed because it was part of a "temporary exhibit" installed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address in 2013, and was put into storage after the exhibit ended this year.
Just as quietly as the bust disappeared, it quietly returned this month, Wayne said – and to an even more noteworthy location. The historic bust, which is positioned on a pedestal to stand as tall as Lincoln’s towering 6′ 4″ height, Wayne explained, is now on display in the Uris Library, where it was originally exhibited in 1891.
Randy Wayne, associate professor, School of Integrative Plant Science (Randy Wayne)
Wayne was the most vocal Cornell staff member when the Lincoln statue abruptly disappeared, but the professor credited a team effort for the statue being reinstated on campus. He pointed to the Cornell Free Speech Alliance of alumni, staff, students and others who joined him, as well as outlets such as The College Fix for first sounding the alarm on the removal.
"It has just been announced by the university that ‘Old Abe’ will be reinstated in a new and more prominent display at Uris Library. CONGRATS to CornellFSA supporters who made this happen!" the Cornell Free Speech Alliance proudly states at the top of its website as of mid-November.
American sculptor Vinnie Ream (1847-1914) poses beside her bust of Abraham Lincoln. Created when she was only a teenager, she was both the first woman and the youngest artist to be commissioned by the U.S. government for a statue. (PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
After Lincoln’s death, Ream became the youngest artist and first woman to ever be commissioned by the federal government for a statue: the Lincoln statue that is featured in the U.S. Capitol’s rotunda.
