The American-Russian Cultural Cooperation Foundation
1050 17th Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20036
Contact: The Honorable James W. Symington (202) 887-1400
Alexander Potemkin (202) 457-8114
APotemkin@a-rccf.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date 4/14/2011
Rare Exhibition of President Abraham Lincoln Artifacts Opens in St. Petersburg, Russia
"The Tsar and the President: Alexander II and Abraham Lincoln, Liberator and Emancipator," the
ARCCF’s latest major exhibition, completed a one-month run at the State Archive of the Russian
Federation in Moscow on March 28.
On April 26, this unique exhibition reopens at “Tsarskoye Selo” State Museum in St. Petersburg.
It will be on display through July 31, the height of the tourist season.
This exhibition explores the early lives, diplomatic connections, and ultimate assassinations of
these two great leaders, who never met personally, but who exchanged warm correspondence
which is on display here. The major theme, of the exhibition however, is their shared status as
Liberators. Alexander II freed over 20 million Serfs, and soon thereafter President Lincoln signed
the Emancipation Proclamation. The actual pens used to sign these documents are part of the
exhibit.
The Opening Ceremony in Moscow was full of pomp and circumstance. The Russian Minister of
Culture, Mr. Alexander Avdeyev and The Honorable James W. Symington, Chair of the ARCCF,
presided over the Ribbon Cutting ceremony, while the Kremlin’s Presidential band played period
American and Russian marching tunes. US Ambassador John Beyrle spoke, and later hosted a
grand reception at his residence, the historic Spaso House. Media attention was overwhelming.
News of this exhibition appeared on Russian news and TV networks all over the world, and the
Washington Post and the New York Times featured major articles about it. We expect even
greater interest from senior Russian officials, historians, cultural personalities, the general public
and the media in St. Petersburg.
This exhibition has the warm support of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The US
Ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle, deemed this exhibition "spectacular.” It is our hope this
exhibition will remind viewers of a time of close US-Russian cooperation, and contribute to even
warmer future relations between our two countries.
It is no coincidence that this exhibition coincides with the 150th Anniversary of the freeing of the
Serfs, which is currently making headlines all over Russia, and the beginning of the Civil War. The
reforms Alexander II sought to enact were reiterated by President Dimitry Medvedev in his
speech before “The Conference on the Great Reforms and Modernisation of Russia” in St.
Petersburg on March 3, 2011.
This exhibition is made possible with the help of US Department of State, the US-Russia
Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law (USRF), the Abraham Lincoln
Bicentennial Foundation, and the Caterpillar Foundation.
If you would like additional information do not hesitate to contact us.
***
A TV news report of the exhibition at the State Archive, RU, is at:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1-1bonLx8Xy