The never-before-published interview notes regarding Abraham Lincoln, conducted by Sculptor James E. Kelly (1855-1933).In 1919, sculptor and historian James E. Kelly met with a New England gentleman who had heard Abraham Lincoln speak during his 1860 visit to New York City. The man remembered Lincoln as a strong and vigorous leader of men and not at all slack-looking, downcast, or meditative--as he was usually depicted by other sculptors. Inspired both artistically and historically, Kelly declared, "From that very moment, I became desirous of gathering material to justify me in making him an active, vigorous leader. My ambition was to model President Abraham Lincoln in bronze--the embodiment of the spirit of the time as well as the men whom he led in triumph. From that very moment, I began to actively seek out any living witness who could tell me of Lincoln. Kelly conducted a series of interviews and correspondence with many well-known figures who personally knew Abraham Lincoln, and several veteran soldiers who had met or had heard the President speak, and even the common folk who simply caught a fleeting glimpse or passed alongside his casket. Kelly recorded over sixty eyewitness accounts which he carefully preserved in his notebooks--hundreds of pages of highly significant oral history--detailing Lincoln's physical appearance, personality, and qualities as a statesman. This testimony confirmed Kelly's belief that the real Lincoln was seldom depicted correctly in art. "Make him living!" wrote Lincoln's Secretery William Stoddard, "for he was one of the most 'all alive' of men."