Museum Collections
Luce Center
Me-ghe-ke-le-au-tah
Object Number:
1946.359
Date:
Mid-19th century
Medium:
Painted plaster
Dimensions:
Overall: 12 x 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. ( 30.5 x 16.5 x 24.1 cm )
Marks:
inscribed: on back of neck [incised]: "351"
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.