On November 6, the 155th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln being elected President, a rare painting of the President by Norman Rockwell, will go up for online auction on Bidsquare and is projected to sell for $50,000.

To celebrate Lincoln being elected the 16th U.S. president, Brunk Auctions and Bidsquare will auction off a signed preliminary oil sketch of Rockwell’s "Lincoln the Railsplitter" painting. Two similar works are held by the Norman Rockwell Museum. In 1963, the Lincoln First Federal Savings and Loan commissioned Norman Rockwell to paint this portrait of Abraham Lincoln for a price of $4000. The painting was finished and unveiled two years later in the lobby of the bank's headquarters in Spokane and is now held by the Butler Institute of American Art.

Laura Crockett, fine arts expert at Brunk Auctions commented: "For Norman Rockwell, Lincoln represented the foremost citizen and model of this nation. This sketch imbues a sense of the historic and national pride depicted in the imposing yet humble and educated portrait of a young Abraham Lincoln. While Norman Rockwell painted mainly large scale works, small oils were an important part of the final process."

Allis Ghim, CEO of Bidsquare commented: "This painting represents America: one of the most iconic American artists of the 20th century portraying one of the most important Presidents in American history. We expect this to appeal to a large audience of American art enthusiasts."

This painting will be available for live and online auction on November 6­ through Brunk Auctions on Bidsquare.

Contact: Aaron Edwards

Brunk Auctions

aaron@brunkauctions.com