Museum Collections
Luce Center
John Caldwell Calhoun (1782-1850)
Object Number:
1946.363
Date:
ca. 1850
Medium:
Painted plaster
Dimensions:
Overall: 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 8 1/4 in. ( 26.7 x 19 x 21 cm )
Marks:
inscriptions: across top of head: "C K Mills/184-".
Description:
Death mask
Gallery Label:
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.
Credit Line:
Purchase, General Fund
Provenance:
The Fowler Mask Collection
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.