Artist/Maker
Unidentified artist
Artist/Maker
Fowler & Wells
(1838–ca. 1946)
Related person
Abraham Lincoln
(American, 1809 – 1865)
Life mask of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
mid-19th century
Painted and overpainted plaster
Overall: 15 x 10 x 7 in. ( 38.1 x 25.4 x 17.8 cm )
Purchase
1946.353
This cast was part of the Phrenological Museum of Fowler & Wells, which opened in New York City in 1842. Brothers Orson Squire Fowler (1809-1887) and Lorenzo Niles Fowler (1811-1896) and their business associate Samuel Roberts Wells (1820-1875) were noted phrenologists who read heads to understand the subject's "temperament." Their Phrenological Cabinet displaying casts, skulls, and charts became a popular fixture in the city.
DescriptionLife mask.MarkingsPaper label: "Lincoln portrait mask 9- 78"
ClassificationsSCULPTURE
