A new book and exhibit at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum aims to tell the story of our 16th president through objects and documents from his life. Co-written by the ALPLM's chief of acquisitions Ian Hunt and museum director Christina Shutt, the book is called Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation in 100 Objects (Rizzoli, $50).

The related exhibition of some of the objects from the book also marks both the museum's 20th anniversary and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It's called Lincoln: A Life and Legacy that Defined a Nation and it's open through April 26, 2026.

On a recent visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, director Christina Shutt took us through three exhibits: one previewing the museum’s 20th anniversary celebration, another on a rare 21-star flag from when Illinois had just become the 21st state, and the third on a special exhibit aimed at making Lincoln more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.

That exhibit is called Lincoln: Sight, Sound & Touch. It features replicas of some of the artifacts in the museum’s collection, like a casting of Lincoln’s face and hands made just after his death, and a leather briefcase he used while president. It also seeks to render two-dimensional objects in 3-D, including a copy of the Gettysburg Address in Lincoln’s own handwriting that’s been made into a tactile experience. (Note the exhibit is only open through Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025.)

In June 2021, Christina Shutt began her role as executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. We talked with her about her plans for the museum. Plus, her views as a Black woman about Lincoln's role in America's complicated racial history.