House Bill 4664 Pen Shadowbox Frame



Our client brought us an artifact from the signing of the Illinois House Bill 4664, known as the Patient and Provider Protection Act. The pen, monogrammed for the Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, was used to sign this bill. We designed the framing to encompass the pen, an engraved plate with the name of the legislation, and a copy of the Great Seal of Illinois. The three elements were mounted on platforms made from the same Jewel Blue Linen (Crescent 7581) as the shadowbox in which they were mounted. We used anti-reflective glass for ease of viewing (UltraVue) and the frame was a Larson-Juhl Cranbrook Walnut 613675. The frame is 3/4" wide on its face and 1 5/8" tall overall. The pen was sewn down with black thread in a couple inconspicuous places, while the plate and great seal were glued in place onto their platforms. Each platform has a recessed riser under it to give the appearance of floating in the shadowbox. Elegant and compact, it tells the story of this legislation.

HB4664, in case you did not read about it, is legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly, which enshrined a woman's right to abortion, OBGYN procedures and medication related to same. While other states are acting to strip women of their rights to make decisions about their bodies, their pregnancies and all related things, Illinois stepped up to enshrine them in law. When the US Supreme Court reversed Roe V. Wade, a number of states took that to mean that they had the right to strip women of their abilities to make decisions about their bodies and medical treatment. Many of them have passed legislation to that effect, even in the case of saving the woman's life, rape or incest which is, frankly, medieval and completely wrong. For those whose religion dictates against abortion, they are free to follow those rules. However, the First Amendment of the US Constitution states, quite explicitly, that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof......". That, pretty clearly, rules out the dictates of any religion practiced by anyone in this country. Bravo to our legislators and Governor Pritzker.

If you have important artifacts that you wish to view in a similar context, letting them tell a story in a shadowbox is a great way to present and preserve them. Stop in with them and we will be happy to show you how they might be preserved and presented for posterity and your viewing enjoyment.

Photos and framing by Brian Flax, CPF
Images shown courtesy of our client, whose name has been redacted to preserve their privacy.