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Catalog Data

Cast after:
Clark Mills, 13 Dec 1810 - 12 Jan 1883  Search this
Sitter:
Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865  Search this
Medium:
Plaster
Dimensions:
17.1 x 20.3 x 29.8cm (6 3/4 x 8 x 11 3/4")
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1865 (cast c. 1917)
Exhibition Label:
Born Hardin County, Kentucky
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. Life masks were popular in the nineteenth century because they created a duplicate of the subject’s features. A friend of Lincoln’s commented on the mask’s ability to portray “one on whom sorrow and care had done their worst.”
Nacido en el condado de Hardin, Kentucky
Observando esta imagen del rostro de Abraham Lincoln, en la que aparece consumido y agobiado, uno puede pensar que se trata de una máscara funeraria, pero de hecho fue tomada en vida el 11 de febrero de 1865 por el escultor Clark Mills. Los moldes del rostro eran populares en el siglo XIX porque creaban un duplicado de las facciones del modelo. Un amigo de Lincoln comentó que la máscara lograba mostrar a “alguien en quien el dolor y la preocupación habían causado devastación”.
Provenance:
National Museum of History and Technology (now National Museum of American History); transferred to NPG 1971
Topic:
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard  Search this
Mask\Life mask  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Male  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\Soldier  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Illinois  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Surveyor  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\State Senator\Illinois  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster  Search this
Abraham Lincoln: Crafts and Trades\Boat builder  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Museum of American History
Object number:
NPG.71.26
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View:
NPG, West Gallery 240
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm49e671628-d164-4d6e-8f74-39e90d448f47
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.71.26