This bronze sculpture is from the life mask of Abraham Lincoln that was taken by artist Leonard Volk in 1860. In 1886, a committee was formed to purchase the original casts and present them, along with bronze copies, to the National Museum in Washington. Additional bronze copies were presented to the committee members. This copy was a gift to General John J. Pershing in 1920 from Douglas Volk, the son of the artist.

Lincoln’s Election and the Secession Crisis, 1860-1861

Abraham Lincoln is remembered as a renowned orator, and he was as conscious of the power of images as of words. There were thousands of images of Lincoln produced during and after his lifetime, including photographs, prints, sculptures, and cartoons. The objects pictured below are unique in that they are both three-dimensional casts reflecting Lincoln’s “true” physical appearance. Life masks like the one pictured below were an effective way to disseminate accurate likenesses of public figures before the widespread use of photography. The sculptor Leonard Volk took the original plaster casts for both of these objects around the time that Lincoln received the Republican nomination for the 1860 presidential election.

Abraham Lincoln

Style:

Life Mask

Type:

Sculpture

Art Medium:

Bronze

Visible Art Dimensions:

13 x 8 x 6.50" Description:

Limited Edition Bronze Life Mask of Abraham Lincoln by Leonard Wells Volk 1860 

Signature:

Signed in mold "1860 Leonard Wells

Volk"