Sharing a very interesting article pointed out by George Stewart.

Using modern day technology and “life masks” which were made during the subjects lifetime (1770’s), Cheryl A. Daniel, founder of Digital Barbs has created some 21st century renditions and images of what our 18th century heroes would have looked like.

Using life masks, Cheryl conducted a comprehensive forensic and academic study to envision the most probable appearance of the subjects. By incorporating flesh, hair, and other intricate details, Cheryl aimed to reveal how these individuals might have looked in daguerreotypes and photographs of the day.

Our understanding of these historical figures primarily relies on surviving engravings, drawings, paintings, and sculptures housed in museums and historical sites. However, one must question their accuracy.

One of the challenges or cautions of using paintings made during those times as they may have resulted in some “plastic surgery” bias.  Do these paintings, drawings and depictions suffer from the biases of “artistic license” and “sympathetic treatment” commonly employed by portrait artists of that era?  Why would I want my portrait taken with the wart on my nose left on?

Cheryl sought to overcome the artistic “plastic surgery” possibly employed during the day by using “Life Masks”.

Before the advent of photography, life masks served as the most effective method of capturing an exact likeness of an individual. Essentially, plaster was applied to the subject’s head and sometimes upper torso to create a mold, from which a life mask or bust could be cast. This process resulted in a three-dimensional and faithful representation, capturing even the minutest details of the subject’s true appearance. Thanks to the works of sculptors John Henri Isaac Browere and Jean-Antoine Houdon, we now possess a range of life masks of famous early Americans, providing us with a glimpse into their genuine visage.

This is a very interesting process.  The full article is attached below:

Cheryl Daniels Article – Digital Yarbs – What Did American Heroes Really Look Like?

Enjoy!