A six-foot-tall wax statue of Abraham Lincoln succumbed to the searing summer heat in Washington, DC, causing a dramatic and unintended transformation.
The statue, installed at Garrison Elementary School in Northwest Washington since February, began to melt over the weekend as temperatures soared to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 37.7 degrees Celsius).
The intense heat took a toll on the statue, first causing the head to melt and detach, followed by a leg separating from the torso, and a foot disintegrating into an unrecognizable blob. Even the chair supporting the statue was not spared, sinking into the ground as the heatwave persisted.
CulturalDC, the non-profit organization that commissioned the statue by Richmond artist Sandy Williams IV, commented on the situation. "Our staff has purposely removed Lincoln's head to prevent it from falling and breaking," a spokesperson said. They further explained that the sculpture was designed to change over time like a candle, but the extreme heat accelerated this process beyond their expectations.
Despite the damage, CulturalDC plans to keep the installation at the school until September as part of its "40 ACRES: Camp Barker" commemoration, which highlights the Civil War era and its aftermath. The wax used in the sculpture has a congealing point of 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), meaning it begins to melt or harden at that temperature.
The statue, weighing approximately 3,000 lbs, was intended to be sheltered under towering trees to provide ample shade during summer. However, the recent heatwave, with temperatures exceeding the mid-90s for three consecutive days, proved too much for the noble rendering of America's 16th president.
Photos of the melting president, with his head tilting backward, quickly went viral, sparking various interpretations and memes online. Some saw it as a symbol of heat-induced agony, while others took a more humorous or scandalous view.
As Washington, DC grapples with punishing summer heat, the melting wax statue of Abraham Lincoln stands as an unexpected reminder of the challenges posed by extreme weather.
