The original "Purpose" Lincoln T-shirt design, using pink.
Sometimes, life is difficult. I was going through a rough patch a couple of months ago, when I felt as though I wasn’t getting the proper recognition for my art. Out of that rough patch I created this inspiring Lincoln T-shirt.
I’ve admired Lincoln for almost 15 years, and one of the reasons why I admire him is his sense of purpose, and how he always struggled for the things he believed in even when it appeared as though he would not succeed. His words, experiences, and actions have served to inspire me even during the darkest periods of my life – like in school during the 1990s, a time period I’d rather not remember now (or ever). Abraham Lincoln is like my personal motivational speaker – I gain all the motivation and inspiration I need to continue, during good times and bad, from him.
During the creation of this T-shirt I used bright, inspiring colors to present Lincoln as an illuminating, inspiring figure. I added bright brush strokes to areas like Lincoln’s hair and beard, to further “illuminate” Lincoln and draw attention to him and his sense of purpose. The dark blue colors I used in the background represent the sadness and difficulty of the Civil War and the evils of slavery, crises over which he would ultimately triumph. I based the design off of a photo of Lincoln which I feel shows his confidence and determination well. I could feel Lincoln’s sense of purpose, and his courage and tenacity, as I was creating this painting-like design.
The modified "Purpose" design, which uses turquoise, for guys.
The quote, “Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did”, comes from a letter Lincoln wrote to a Civil War cadet during the summer of 1862, who was feeling badly at the time, advising him to stick to his purpose. The summer of 1862 was a difficult time for Lincoln, too – the war was going badly, casualties were great, and he would soon deal with the political fallout from the Emancipation Proclamation, which many, even in the North, did not approve of at the time.
Originally, this design was created using pink as the bright color. I decided after it was completed that I should make a version that wasn’t so feminine for guys, too – and so there is a version that uses turquoise as the bright color as well. As a result, this Lincoln T-shirt is available in both men’s and women’s sizes. The men’s Lincoln T-shirts use the turquoise design, and the women’s T-shirts use the original pink design. Enjoy!
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The image on this Lincoln T-shirt evokes the events of 145 years ago.
Copyright © 2008 Lincoln Apparel
145 years ago today, Washington, D.C., and the North were in celebration, as the day before, Lee had surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. At the time of the surrender, which occurred during the afternoon of April 9, Lincoln was en route back to Washington from his trip to Richmond. He did not hear about the surrender until he arrived in Washington at around sundown, where the city was in celebration, and streets were alive with people, and there were fireworks, bonfires, and bells ringing. Crowds assembled at the White House calling for the President to speak; Lincoln gave a few brief remarks.
On April 10, the celebrations continued. Crowds serenaded Lincoln, bands played, and Lincoln gave many extemporaneous remarks, but not a full speech. Lincoln responded to the serenades, stating that he would give a speech the next day.
On the evening of April 11th, Lincoln appeared in his second floor White House window to give a speech to the crowd before him, assembled on the White House lawn. His son Tad appeared with him, holding a lantern for him to read by, and Mary appeared in another window. Lincoln began to read his speech, illustrating his vision for America after the Civil War. Here, he restated his view that the seceded states had never actually left the Union, and outlined plans for reconstruction, using Louisiana, which had recently adopted a free state constitution, as an example. More importantly, he endorsed black voting rights, and his desire to reunify the country, both North and South, and black and white.
One of the things that’s always inspired and intrigued me about Lincoln is his struggle to free the slaves and his struggle for racial equality. In fact, this is one of the main things that got me interested in Lincoln in the first place. His speech on April 11, 1865, offers a window into Lincoln’s vision for a future America where everyone would have rights, regardless of race. Here, he endorsed the ratification of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery, that he worked so hard for (and which passed Congress a few months earlier – on January 31, 1865), endorsed the benefit of public schools for black and white, and voting rights for the same.
In particular, I love this passage:
"These twelve thousand persons are thus fully committed to the Union, and to perpetual freedom in the state–committed to the very things, and nearly all the things the nation wants–and they ask the nations recognition and it’s assistance to make good their committal. Now, if we reject, and spurn them, we do our utmost to disorganize and disperse them. We in effect say to the white men "You are worthless, or worse–we will neither help you, nor be helped by you." To the blacks we say "This cup of liberty which these, your old masters, hold to your lips, we will dash from you, and leave you to the chances of gathering the spilled and scattered contents in some vague and undefined when, where, and how." If this course, discouraging and paralyzing both white and black, has any tendency to bring Louisiana into proper practical relations with the Union, I have, so far, been unable to perceive it. If, on the contrary, we recognize, and sustain the new government of Louisiana the converse of all this is made true. We encourage the hearts, and nerve the arms of the twelve thousand to adhere to their work, and argue for it, and proselyte for it, and fight for it, and feed it, and grow it, and ripen it to a complete success. The colored man too, in seeing all united for him, is inspired with vigilance, and energy, and daring, to the same end."
That eloquent passage about uniting black and white makes you wonder what would have happened with civil rights had Lincoln actually lived out his second term. Lincoln was an inspiring, unifying figure who never stopped believing in what he felt was right. I plan to release some bright new inspiring Lincoln T-shirts soon – entitled “Purpose” – that illustrate Lincoln’s sense of purpose and that feature a bright, complex illustration of Lincoln I created. Watch this blog and my Lincoln Apparel website for the cool new Lincoln T-shirts!
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