The 170-ton statue is composed of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble[1][vague] and rises 30 feet (9.1 m) from the floor, including the 19-foot (5.8 m) seated figure (with armchair and footrest) upon an 11-foot (3.4 m) high pedestal.

French paid particular attention to Lincoln's expressive hands, which rest on the enormous arms of a semi-circular ceremonial chair, whose fronts bear fasces, emblems of authority from Roman antiquity.

French resigned his chairmanship of the Fine Arts Commission in Washington, D.C., a group closely affiliated with the memorial's design and creation — and commenced work in December.

His previous studies of Lincoln—which included biographies, photographs, and a life mask of Lincoln by Leonard Volk done in 1860—had prepared him for the challenging task of the larger statue.

French started with a small clay study and subsequently created several plaster models, making subtle changes in the figure's pose or setting.

Eventually, French's longtime collaborators, the firm of Piccirilli Brothers, were commissioned to do the carving of a much larger sculpture in marble from a quarry near Tate, Georgia.