Life Mask of Abraham Lincoln by Clark Mills
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Abraham Lincoln allowed two sculptors to make life masks of his face - first in 1860 and then in 1865. These life masks were reproduced and several sculptors used them as the basis for statues. Clark Mills made this cast of Lincoln's face on February 11, 1865, sixty days before the president was assassinated. In 1867, Mills proposed using this life mask for a Lincoln memorial, but it was never made. …
Abraham Lincoln allowed two sculptors to make life masks of his face - first in 1860 and then in 1865. These life masks were reproduced and several sculptors used them as the basis for statues. Clark Mills made this cast of Lincoln's face on February 11, 1865, sixty days before the president was assassinated. In 1867, Mills proposed using this life mask for a Lincoln memorial, but it was never made.
Abraham Lincoln was 56 years old when sculptor Clark Mills made this cast of his face. Mills encased Lincoln's head in a tight cap and then spread plaster over his face, leaving only a small space under his nostrils. When the plaster hardened Mills asked the President to twitch which made the plaster fall away from his skin. The whole procedure lasted less than fifteen minutes. This mask was made in February 1865, sixty days before Lincoln was assassinated.
Artifact
Life mask
Subject Date
11 February 1865
Creators
Place of Creation
Creator Notes
The original life mask was made on February 11, 1865 by American sculptor Clark Mills in the United States; it is undetermined where this copy was created
Location
Not on exhibit to the public.
Object ID
92.0.65.962
Credit
From the Collections of The Henry Ford.
Material
Plaster of paris
Shellac
Technique
Casting (Process)
Color
Cream (Color)
Dimensions
Height: 7 in
Width: 7.75 in
Length: 11 in
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