The Death Mask of the Duke of Wellington, Walmer Castle

Three days after the Duke of Wellington’s death, on 14 September 1852, the portrait sculptor George Gammon Adams made this death mask. It does not reflect the Duke’s normal appearance, as his sunken mouth and cheeks show that his false teeth had already been removed. A cast was also made of his hands, and his head was later shaved so that the innumerable requests from friends and relatives for locks of the Duke's hair could be satisfied.