A life mask of Abraham Lincoln

Contrary to popular myth, there is no death mask from the assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln twice sat for facial molds to be taken during his lifetime in order to make a life mask. The first was established in 1860, while Lincoln negotiated for the Republican Party's nomination to run for president. As a result, the Lincoln mask shows him without a beard.

Lincoln did not enjoy the treatment, according to its originator, a sculptor by the name of Leonard Volk, who later revealed that Lincoln found it unpleasant, taxing, and slightly painful. Lincoln still praised the resulting life mask, calling it "the animal itself" in a self-deprecating manner. In February 1865, after being re-elected and while awaiting his second inauguration, Lincoln took the second mask.

Despite the fact that Lincoln was still alive when he sat for the cast to be formed, the second mask, which was constructed by Clark Mills, is frequently referred to as the President's death mask. The Smithsonian is the owner of the Mills mask. Although it is not currently on display to the public, pictures of the mask can be found online.

Theodore Mills, the artist's son, gave the mask to the Smithsonian in 1889. After additional bronze castings from the previous Volk mask molds were produced, the Smithsonian received the molds in 1886. The Metropolitan Museum in New York has one such casting on display, which clearly depicts a younger Lincoln.