The architect who designed the Memorial and the authorities who funded its construction were adamant that the structure should honor the classical ideal of simplicity. On the other hand, the public seemed amusingly confused about what it wanted to see in the building. A congressman envisioned using public money to purchase the suit Lincoln wore the night he was assassinated for display in the memorial. A former servant offered the president’s razor. Another potential donor wished to contribute a massive painting depicting Lincoln, Henry Ward Beecher (an ardent abolitionist), and William H. Seward (Lincoln’s Secretary of State) in the shadow of a Goddess of Liberty. All these offers were kindly rejected.