Historic Lincoln Wax Statue Melts in DC's Record-Breaking Heatwave

The heat in D.C. was so brutal that even Lincoln couldn't stay composed. A wax statue of President Abraham Lincoln, placed outside an elementary school in Washington, D.C., melted under the soaring weekend temperatures. The six-foot-tall statue, created by U.S.-based artist Sandy Williams IV, lost its head, had its legs separated from its torso, and its right foot melted by Monday. The chair it sat on also sank into the ground.

According to the New York Times, Sandy Williams IV noted that the online conversation highlighted something special about public art: its openness to interpretation, even when that interpretation is unexpected.

"When I exhibit work in galleries, I interact with a more specific demographic," said Williams. "Public art, on the other hand, is for everyone, especially once it becomes a meme on the internet."

"Our staff intentionally removed Lincoln's head to prevent it from falling and breaking," stated the nonprofit organization CulturalDC, which commissioned the statue.

The head is now undergoing repairs, with a wire protruding from the 16th president's neck. Local media outlets reported that it is scheduled to be reattached this week.

"This 3,000 lb wax sculpture is designed to melt like a candle and change over time, but this extreme heat has taken a toll on Lincoln," Williams explained.

The sculpture was not supposed to melt so soon. Wicks embedded in the wax were meant for viewers to light briefly, collectively melting Lincoln over time.

Williams, an assistant professor of art at the University of Richmond, mentioned using paraffin wax tested to withstand temperatures up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. "I didn't anticipate reaching that threshold this past weekend," they admitted.

"The installation directly comments on D.C.'s history of Civil War-era Contraband Camps, which were refugee camps for formerly enslaved and free African Americans," revealed CulturalDC in a press release. "Camp Barker occupied the site where Garrison Elementary now stands."

Williams expressed being "not too upset" since the memes brought more attention to the statue.

"While the jokes aren't the only thing I want people to take away from it," Williams stated, "my hope is that this viral viewing of the work allows any audience encountering it to spend more time and engage with the deeper histories the work aims to explore."