Greta Pratt’s Nineteen Lincolns…consists of portraits of nineteen members of The Association of Lincoln Presenters, each of whom Pratt situated against a similar background and asked to “present his idea of Lincoln for the camera.” Part of a larger, ongoing effort to investigate how Americans remember history, Pratt also collected written accounts from the Presenters, asking them to explain what motivated them to portray Lincoln. Their stories are individually unique but often with similar conclusions. The men each come to Lincoln for different reasons—they bear a resemblance, they are history teachers, they like to act, etc.—and they are often attracted to one particular feature of their hero—his bootstrap story, his religious faith, his mental fortitude, etc.—but by associating with Lincoln they all undergo a common transformation: they strive to be better people and citizens. As “Lincoln Six” puts it succinctly, “Lincoln brings out the best in me.” - Seth Feman