Artist/Maker
Unidentified artist
Artist/Maker
Fowler & Wells
(1838–ca. 1946)
Afterafter
Clark Mills
(1815 - 1883)
Depicted
Abraham Lincoln
(American, 1809 – 1865)
Life mask of Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
1865
Painted plaster
Overall: 11 x 8 x 7 in. ( 27.9 x 20.3 x 17.8 cm )
Purchase
1946.352
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 cast after the original taken by Clark Mills on February 11, 1865.MarkingsPaper label on interior inscribed: "Lincoln death mask 8 -78"
InscribedInscribed on top of head: "Abraham Lincoln / Clark Mills / 1865"; inscribed on back of head: "NY....INSTITUTE / PHRENOLOGY"
ClassificationsSCULPTURE