Artist Allyn Cox gave the cartoon for “Lincoln and the Dome” to Congressman Fred Schwengel, President of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, shortly after he completed the mural in 1974, and Schwengel later included it with the books and art he began donating to Pickler Memorial Library in 1976.
Unfortunately, during its sojourn from the Capitol to Pickler, the cartoon received some water damage and its condition continued to deteriorate through the years it was in storage here. Some serious conservation work had to be done before it could be placed on exhibit. In 1998, with the support of Mrs Ethel Schwengel and her family, the Library undertook the conservation project. Heugh-Edmondson Conservation Services of Kansas City, MO, the firm selected for the work, completed the restoration in February 2000.