He let the heat get to his head.
A wax sculpture of Abraham Lincoln sitting outside of a Washington D.C. elementary school is headless after it began melting during a punishing heatwave that had temperatures in the 100s.
Artist Sandy Williams IV created the 6-foot tall and 3,000-pound replica of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the “40 Acres: Camp Barker” exhibit at Camp Barker, a contraband camp during the Civil War that is now the site of an elementary school.
“This 3,000-lb wax sculpture is intended to be burnt like a candle and to change over time, but this wild heat has done a number on Lincoln,” Cultural DC, which commissioned the project, wrote in an update on its site.
However, the record-level heat caused Lincoln to slump in his char more than anticipated, Cultural DC noted.
The congealing point for the wax used in the project, or the temperature where it begins to harden or melt, was 140 degrees, the group said.
Despite temperatures only hitting about 100 degrees over the weekend, the heat’s impact was evident as the statue started to slump.
“All that wax is leannnnnnnning back under the weight of 2024 and the state of our warming planet!” the group wrote.
Cultural DC noted that they removed Lincoln’s head as it was starting to melt and slump over so that it wouldn’t fall off and break.
Now the group is working to determine the next steps for the exhibit.
“We can’t guarantee he’ll be sitting up straight for the months ahead, but who really will be,” the organization said.
