The book I just finished, Destiny of the Republic, about President James A. Garfield--a wonderful read--mentioned how, after the death of President Garfield, his widow, Lucretia, assiduously went about preserving his legacy, even to the extent of rejecting or discouraging some images of the president well-meaning people produced, even to the extent of asking one painter that the image was "not very good" and never to let others see it.
Even before reading those lines, I couldn't help but be struck, while touring Lawnfield, the president's home, in Mentor, Ohio, last week, with the many images of the president lovingly displayed throughout the home. Every room, I think, had some kind of representation of Garfield's form or visage, such as this painting:
And this one, in his Civil War uniform:
And this bust, in the expansive and impressive second-floor library:
And this free-standing stained glass image, in the first-floor bedroom:
And, though it wasn't displayed in the home, but rather in the exhibits available for viewing in the visitors' center nearby, the actual desk mask of the president, taken after his death (when he had wasted away to a mere 130 pounds from his weight before the shooting that led to his death of--I think--210 pounds).
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