Historical Facts & FiguresA look at major events that happened a long time ago and the people who played the biggest roles in shaping the world as we know it.
Parting Words That Sound Fake
How Other People Described Them as Children
Popular Myths That Aren't True
Real People Who Inspired Ancient Mythology
What They Really Looked Like
Fascinating Bad*sses You Should Know
Legendary Objects That Really Existed
Figures Who Were Unfairly Villainized
Creepers Who Changed the World
What Their Kids Said About Them
Famous B*stards of the Past
The Preserved Body Parts Of Historical People
Folks Unlike How They Are Usually Perceived
Figures with Powerful Genes
Figures Who Made Insufferable Small Talk
Historical Figures With Living Ancestors
Death Masks of Famous Figures
History's Most Famous Extroverts
Awesome Color Photos of Historical People
These Figures Were Penniless When They Passed
Consistently Misrepresented in Pop Culture
Historical Height Twins
Events You Wish You Witnessed
History's Most Influential People
Late Kings Who Might Rise Up
Historical Movies That Are Totally Inacurrate
Historically Important Foodstuffs
Made Their Marks While in Young Adulthood
The Ones We Want to Resurrect
What Famous People From History Really Looked Like
Historical Misconceptions to Unlearn
Biggest Cases of Mass Deportation
Historical Groups With Bad Raps
Weird History
17 Plaster Face Molds Of Famous Historical Figures That Were Made Moments After They Died
Death masks are an eerie glimpse into the final moments of life. These detailed sculptures of prominent historical figures were made immediately after death to capture the face’s exact likeness. Death and mourning rituals can be strange. For example, in the 19th century, people practiced weird mourning rituals, such as wearing jewelry made from dead people’s hair. Death masks are no exception.
The oldest death mask might be those worn by Egyptian Pharaohs like King Tut, but the more exact versions of the face featured on this list became popular after the 14th century, until photography eventually replaced the practice.
What is a death mask? It is essentially a mold of a dead person's face. They are made by packing clay or wax on the face of a dead body, and then using the negative cast of the face to produce multiple copies of the death mask. Starting in the 14th century, death masks were preserved for their historic value or used to create sculptures and busts of the deceased. As such, death masks were often reserved for royalty and notable people, such as scientific genius Isaac Newton and notorious mobster John Dillinger.