Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Memorial)

Daniel Chester French sculpted this monumental marble Abraham Lincoln between 1914 and 1920, seated in contemplation within Henry Bacon's Greek temple on the National Mall. The Lincoln Memorial has become one of America's most sacred civic spaces, site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and countless protests and commemorations.

French spent six years perfecting the 19-foot seated figure, carved from 28 blocks of white Georgia marble. Lincoln's hands rest on fasces, Roman symbols of authority, one clenched in determination, one open in reconciliation. Urban legend claims French encoded sign language into the hands spelling "A" and "L," but the sculptor never confirmed this.

The memorial sits at the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., facing the Washington Monument and Capitol. It is free to visit and open 24 hours. The inscription above Lincoln reads: "In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever." Over seven million people visit annually.