Iconic Portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln Discovered to be a Fake - Page 2
James Cornelius, curator of Springville's Lincoln Library and Museum, said the restoration crew must have known the painting was a hoax, based on a recent review of their findings by independent conservator Barry Bauman. Not only that, Bauman names Ludwig Pflum as the scam artist who painted over another painting before making up his story to make a quick buck off of the Lincoln family. Pflum worked at a variety of unsuccessful jobs, including a stint as a boxer and a circus clown during his lifetime. His obituary reads that he "dabbled in oil paintings".
The painting, insured at one time for $400,000, is essentially rendered worthless. I'm sure a number of collectors, however, would love to get their hands on a painting with such an illustrious story hidden underneath its shiny veneer.
Image courtesy the New York Times
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