Laughing Lincoln

Naperville, Illinois

Abe Lincoln was known for telling ebullient jokes -- a rare skill on a presidential resume -- which led to this seemingly unique bronze statue of an American President open-mouthed and laughing. At age 30, Illinois state representative Lincoln helped to make Naperville a county seat (some say that he traded votes with another legislator, who helped to make Springfield the state capitol), so Abe presumably lighted on or near the spot of this seated statue and laughed. It was unveiled in December 2018 as part of the Illinois state bicentennial.

Laughing Lincoln's sculptor, David Alan Clark, noted that open-mouthed statues are rare because they often look weird, and that no images exist of Lincoln in mid-guffaw. Clark said that he spent a lot of time trying to make Abe seem happy, not goofy.