a digital scrapbook

On February 11, 1865, Abraham Lincoln consented to having another life mask made of him by the sculptor Clark Mills. The process began with an application of oil over Lincoln’s face, followed by the application of a thin coat of wet plaster paste that dried quickly. After fifteen minutes, Mills asked Lincoln to twitch his face, and the plaster loosened, falling off in large pieces into a cloth. The pieces were then reassembled to form the finished mask. Comparing this mask with the one done in 1860 by Leonard Volk, it is clear how great a toll the Civil War had taken on Lincoln’s health.

National Portrait Gallery
http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/travpres/lincs.htm

Washington DC: Abraham | by jamiey

Arlington: Air Force Memorial View | by jamiey

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