These two extraordinary life masks—made but five years apart—record with painful precision the grueling physical toll the Civil War exacted on Abraham Lincoln.

One of the myths surrounding Lincoln is that a death mask was made after his assassination. In fact, Lincoln had two life masks done, five years apart. The first was produced by Leonard Volk in Chicago, Illinois, in April 1860.

On February 11, 1865, about two months before his death, Abraham Lincoln permitted sculptor Clark Mills to make this life mask of his face. This was the second and last life mask made of Lincoln. The strain of the presidency was written on Abraham Lincoln’s face.

Where is Abraham Lincoln’s death mask? No death mask of Abraham Lincoln exists. However, two “life masks” exist, one of which is often mistaken for a death mask. The Ford’s Theatre Historic Lobby displays a cast of an 1860 life mask alongside the spiral staircase that leads to …

Looking at this cast of Abraham Lincoln’s face, which appears gaunt and careworn, one may think that it is a death mask, but in fact, it was taken from life on February 11, 1865, by sculptor Clark Mills.

It was common practice to take a “death” mask. However, both Lincoln masks we are looking at were created while he was alive. These two life masks are significant for several reasons, especially because they show Lincoln the year before he became president and the year of his death. 1 Leonard Wells Volk made the life mask of Lincoln in April 1860.

2024年4月19日 · Abraham Lincoln’s death was a dark moment in American history. It was an era where Presidents were not so closely guarded and his death at the hands of John Wilkes Booth stunned the country. Before his death, Lincoln had two life masks made, one in April 1860 by Leonard Volk in Chicago, Illinois.

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 …

On February 11, 1865, about two months before his death, Abraham Lincoln permitted sculptor Clark Mills to make this life mask of his face. Abraham Lincoln was the first American president to be assassinated.

The difference in Lincoln's appearance, only five years after the 1860 mask and two months before his death, is striking. When sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens first viewed it, he thought it was a death mask.