The original statue of The Republic towered over the Court of Honor at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. It was 65 feet tall and stood on a 35-foot tall base. The statue was designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French, who later gained fame for his statue of the seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. But, like most of the structures of the Exposition, The Republic was only meant to be temporary. The 24-foot tall replica that now stands at the southern end of Jackson Park on Hayes Drive is made of gilded bronze and was erected in 1918 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fair and the centennial of Illinois statehood.