Life Mask of Abraham Lincoln

Art Historical Context

Step into the presence of Abraham as he appeared on the cusp of history with this poignant *Life Mask*. Created in 1860 by sculptor Leonard Wells just weeks after Lincoln's Republican presidential nomination, it captures the future president's face in unprecedented detail through a direct plaster cast taken from life. Volk, a Chicago-based artist, worked with Lincoln during a sitting that also produced hand casts, preserving features worn by years of frontier life and political ambition. A bronze edition was later cast in 1886 by renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, enhancing its durability and luster. This 8-inch bronze mask, housed in The Met's American Wing, stands as a vital artifact of American portraiture and Civil War-era iconography. Life masks were a 19th-century technique for hyper-realistic likenesses, bridging photography's rise and traditional sculpture—offering tactile authenticity no painted portrait could match. Lincoln's furrowed brow, deep-set eyes, and resolute jawline evoke the weight of a nation on the brink of division. Today, it reminds us of Lincoln's humanity amid myth-making, influencing countless memorials like Saint-Gaudens' own Lincoln statue in Chicago. A gift to The Met in 2007, this cast invites visitors to ponder the man behind the legend.