It is impossible to look at this cast of Abraham Lincoln’s face–gaunt and careworn—and not think that it is a death mask. In fact, it was taken from life on February 11, 1865, by sculptor Clark Mills. Life masks were very popular in the nineteenth century because they created a near-duplicate of the subject’s features. The plaster complements the images of Lincoln that photographer Alexander Gardner captured during that same month. A friend of Lincoln’s commented on the mask’s ability to portray “one on whom sorrow and care had done their worst.”
1865 (cast c. 1917)
Plaster
17.1 x 20.3 x 29.8 cm
NPG.71.26
Image and text © National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2024
Where you'll find this
Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery
Permanent collection
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Abraham Lincoln, 1809–1865
Gallery Tour: America's Presidents
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