A "cult figure" is a person whose image has become a symbol which transcends the meaning of the original image. The best way to describe them is as an "in joke" taken way too far. Every year the cult figure selection committee would choose a person to become the Cult Figure of the Year. Then, we would make a bunch of stuff with this person's face on it. Usually the person is selected because of the comical expression on his or her face, not because we have anything against them. Readers are asked to send in their own interpretation of the cult figure as well. Cult figures are usually just ordinary people who are not famous in any way (until we make them temporarily famous).
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United
States, possibly has the most instantly recognizable face from
American history. His name appears everywhere--children's toys, cars,
cities, streets-- even the first cross-country highway (built in
1913) was named Lincoln Highway. His image appears on the penny and
the $5 bill, on Mount Rushmore, and on countless thousands of
silhouettes in schools and banks during the month of February. Nearly
every American can recite the first line of the Gettysburg Address
("Four score and seven years ago...") but would be hard-pressed to
come up with anything said by George Washington.
Few men (and fewer presidents) can match the stories of his life, from walking 20 miles to return a borrowed book to freeing the slaves, to being the president during the Civil War to his martyrdom at the hands of John Wilkes Booth. He is, in effect, the "super president," even sharing with "supermodels" the disease called Marfan's syndrome. He is the perfect American cult figure.
Many of his accomplishments are the stuff of legend, but how many people know of his minor ones? His muscular body from years of chopping wood and building his own log cabins, his flirtation with cross-dressing, his life as a dancer... these are the things which were not talked about in the innocent days of the 1800s when a president's private life was considered his own. Here, for the first time, our international team of artists and researchers has unearthed evidence of the private side of Abe Lincoln.
Alas, Poor Garlick
(click links to see images)
A1 Wastepaper Co.
33, Shipbrook Road,
Rudheath, Northwich
Cheshire, CW9 7EX
U.K.
Aardvark Studios
PO Box 542913
Dallas, TX 75354-2913, USA
Reed
Altemus
16 Blanchard Rd.
Cumberland, ME 04021-9738, USA
B. Saved
PO Box 1444
New York, NY 10276, USA
Vittorio
Baccelli
CP 132
55100 Lucca
Italy
Vittore Baroni
Via C. Battisti 339/341
55049 Viareggio, Italy
BFM
PO Box 148
Windsor, MA 01270, USA
Mike Casey
3712 N. Richmond St. #2
Chicago, IL 60618, USA
Alan Catlin
143 Furman St.
Schenectady, NY 12304, USA
R. F.
Côté
12465, Ave de Troyes
Quebec, Qc
G2A 3C9
Canada
Crazy Re'
the Creative Eye studio
17827 Denker Avenue
Gardena, CA 90248, USA
Marilyn Dammann
PO Box 115
Baraga, MI 49908, USA
David
Dellafiora
PO Box 1838
Geelong, Vic 3220
Australia
Dragonfly Dream
7 Vuelta Maria,
Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
Edition
Janus / Eberhard Janke
Schlosstr. 8
13507 Berlin
Flea
840 S. Pasfield
Springfield, IL 62704, USA
Scott Garinger
Historians Anonymous
PO Box 321
El Segundo, CA 90245, USA
Ed Giecek
PO Box 573
Neah Bay WA 98357, USA
Alex
Gildzen
2328 Brother Abdon Way
Santa Fe, NM 87505, USA
Gullbe & Lupa
Bibloitecha Gullbiana
Staai 41
6127 AB Grevenbicht
The Netherlands
Johnny Saw-Eater
(address unknown)
Violet Jones
PO Box 55336
Hayward, CA 94545, USA
Vanessa Kister
av. Pres. Getúlio Vargas No. 1875 Apto. 01
Água Verde 80250-180 Curitiba Pr.
Brazil
Kiyotei
Box 2786
Carlsbad, CA 92018, USA
Jean Kusina
810 Clinton St
Fremont, OH 43420, USA
La
Compañia- "La
Tierra"
Cno. Central Eléctrica de Tranvías
18193 Monachil (Granada)
Spain
Solamito
Luigino
Via Cavour, 44
18039 Ventimiglia (lm)
Italy
Eric Lyden
224 Moraine St.
Brockton, MA 02301, USA
Ruggero Maggi
C. so Sempione 67
20149 Milano
Italy
Juha Martikainen
Merimiehenkatu 5 B 14
80110 Joensuu
Finland
Emily
Joe Martuscelli
V. Cellini, 45E
21054 FAGNANO OLONA
Mick Mather
PO Box 222
Clay, NY 13041-0222, USA
Merlin
Mueggenkampstr. 1
D-20257 Hamburg
Germany
Ken Miller
PO Box 101
Newtown, PA 18940-0101, USA
PJM
PO Box 2632
Bellingham, WA 98227-2632 USA
Natalukas
3107 Alderwood Ave
Bellingham, WA 98225, USA
Henk Van Ooijen
Vlinderveen 258
3205 EJ
Spykenisse
Holland
Clemente Padin
Castilla C. Central 1211
Montevideo, Uruguay
Martin
Petersen
Nørre Alle 47, 3. Sal
8000 Århus C
Denmark
Pistol Pete
48 B Shady Lane
Little Falls, NJ 07424, USA
Pimple
PO Box 1464
Concord, NH 03302-1464, USA
Polar
Bird
134 Walnut St.
Batavia, NY 14020, USA
Popomailart
Garcia Pedro
Rue General DeGaulle 14
B-4824 Romsee
Rae's
of the Sun
40 El Rancho Dr
Pleasant Hills, CA 94523
Giovanni StraDA DA
Ravenna
C.P. 271
48100 Ravenna
Italy
Jesse Reklaw
Nondairy Publishing
PO Box 200206
New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Sandragons
PO Box 486
Otis Orchards, WA 99027, USA
Scientist Sam
11514 N. Rockaway Dr.
Spokane, WA 99218, USA
Scout
PO Box 48522
Sarasota, FL 34230-0522, USA
Baudhuin Simon
Rue D'Hoffschmidt 71
B-6720 Habay
Belguim
Dario de Souza
Av. Pres. Getulio Vargas, No. 1875, Ap 1
Àgua Verde - 80.250-180
Curitiba-Pr.
Brazil
Dale
Speirs
Box 6830
Calgary, Alberta
T2P 2E7
Canada
The Sticker Dude
267 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-2387, USA
Dr. Surearts
20 17th Ave South
St Cloud, MN 56301-4123, USA
Thompson
3023 N. Hyde Ave.
Panama City, FL 32405, USA
Lothar
Trott
Turnerstrasse 39
8006 Zurich
Switzerland
Alan
Turner
10 Rathcoole Gardens
Bart
Verburg
Cannenburglaan 6
NL 6825 KK Arnhem
The Netherlands
Sean
Woodward
11 Menin Road
Allestree, Derby
DE22 2NL
England
"Alas, Poor Garlick" by Jean Kusina
The Abe Lincolns were on display at the Highwire Gallery in July & August 2004 as part of A Political Show...photo1 | photo 2
Abe Lincoln also appears on Gridcosm levels 655
and 664
(thanks to Natalukas for helping him get there!)
