A new tactile addition to the “America’s Presidents” exhibition, located on the museum’s second floor, offers a more inclusive experience of the Portrait Gallery’s casts of Lincoln’s face mask and hands. Designed with blind visitors in mind, the installation consists of a free-standing structure with 3D-printed reproductions of the casts, which date from 1917. The casts are based on molds that were made during Lincoln’s lifetime: one face mask was made in 1860 by Leonard Volk, and the other mask and a set of two hands were made in 1865 by Clark Mills. The display is positioned next to the glass-enclosed case with the casts. The installation include object information in braille, and audio content in both English and Spanish featuring guided descriptions and further historical insight. By engaging these additional senses, the Lincoln tactile display enhances the experience of these objects for all visitors.
- Listen to the audio description that accompanies the installation
- In the same gallery on a nearby wall hangs one of the most important and evocative photographs in American history, the “cracked-plate” photograph by famed photographer Alexander Gardner. Listen to an audio description of the “cracked plate” photograph
- Listen to additional audio descriptions of select presidential portraits.
