Focus on The Chicago Lincoln and explore the Construction.
Fairbanks, the sculptor, reported that he initially created a sketch followed by small, clay model of the statue before starting on the full-size statue.  The clay used on the final statue originated from Illinois.  To prepare the full-size statue, an armature using wood, wire mesh, and an iron rod was constructed to keep the statue upright while it was being created.  Fairbanks built the statue anatomically (nude) at first, and then moved to add clothing and worked on the extremities toward the end of his work.  The podium in the statue was planned based on Fairbanks' review of common photographs of Lincoln during his presidential campaign.
Lincoln armature upright his presidential campaign