A six-foot-tall wax figure of American leader Abraham Lincoln began to melt and lose its head in Washington, D.C.’s sweltering heat over the weekend. By Monday, the wax replica of the Lincoln Memorial had reportedly lost its head, its legs had detached from its body and its right foot had melted off, according to reports.
The white wax figure was created by US-based artist Sandy Williams IV and installed outside a primary school in northwest Washington in February this year.
“Officials intentionally removed Lincoln’s head to prevent it from falling off or breaking,” said Cultural DC, the nonprofit that commissioned the statue.
“This 3,000-pound wax figure is made to burn like a candle and change over time, but the extreme heat has done great damage to Lincoln.”
According to the group, the freezing point of the wax used in the Lincoln statue – the temperature at which a substance begins to harden or melt – is 140 degrees.
The installation, titled “40 Acres: Camp Barker,” was scheduled to remain at the school until September.
“The installation is a direct expression of Washington DC’s history as a Civil War-era contraband camp, a refugee camp that housed formerly enslaved and freed African Americans. Camp Barker was located where Garrison Elementary School now stands,” Cultural DC said in a press release.
US heat wave
Extreme temperatures have been recorded in some parts of the US, with forecasters warning people in the central and eastern parts of the country to prepare for extreme heat this month.
