Existing comment:
Casts of Abraham Lincolns' face and hands:
Leonard Wells Volk, 1860
Reproductions from original casts by Avard Fairbanks, 1942
Leonard Wells Volk, a well-known sculptor in mid-19th century America, made these casts for his own use in creating other likenesses of Lincoln such as busts and cameos.
In a collection of essays titled "Lincoln for the Ages" (Doubleday, 1960), sculptor Avard Fairbanks wrote:
"Virtually every sculptor and artist uses the Volk mask for Lincoln. I have committed its lines to memory. It is the most reliable document of the Lincoln face, and far more valuable than photographs, for it is actual form. All the world is indebted to Leonard Volk for his contribution." |