Anna Coleman Ladd's WWI Masks

   Anna Coleman Ladd was born in Penselvaynia and started sculpting with simple things like puddy  at a young age. She has always had amazing talent. Her works were found in many papers. She recieved many awards and even spent a summer sculpting in Rome. Once World War 1 started Ladd knew she could do something more with her work.
  One major disturbance that was occuring during the war was the soldiers faces getting desctructed. Parts of their face were being blown off by gun shots, bombs, etc. Surgeons were skeptical of how much they could actually help, or if they were able to fix that much. This is were Ladd stepped in.What doctors couldn't do she could. She hosted a house in France for wounded soldiers. She wanted to make them feel as comfortable and at home as she could. While they were waiting she gave them checkers, games, wine,paper and many other things to keep them occupied. What did Ladd do? She made masks for these soldiers to make them feel human again. "These patients found relief in the artistry of a woman who had previously sculpted only the faces of lifeless statues" (worker at Red Cross)
 "Hideous is the only word to describe these smashed faces." said a British Soldier. Ladd found joy in fixing the faces. She really sat down and got to know them before making their mask. She really wanted  to make the mask "part if the man himself". Ladd made over 100 masks. From watching a video on YouTube. She spends much detail and time on them. She used copper, foil, paint and anything else she could to make it perfect. She molded the face and meausured different attachments. Next she adjusted the attachment to the mold and face and makes it perfect. With many different mediums, she makes the attachments look as real as possible. Many people were skeptical of what she was doing. But after showing off her work to the service de Sante (France militray medical service) everyone was very impressed. She ended up spending a year and a half volenteering at Red Cross.
 But what did Ladd do after the war? The French gave Ladd the "cross of chevalier of the legion of honor." This was the highest honor she could recieve. She opened a summer studio in Manchester and didn't do as much with Red Cross. She trained some of her assistants to continue the studios work. She created sculptures reflecting on everything she saw in France, much of it was sufferering.
  "We laughed and helped them to forget. This is what they longed deeply for and appreciated." Ladd wrote many papers to her family and friends. These papers talked about everything she saw and helped with. It had pictures, annotations, clippings, and filed Red Cross information. Did other people do these types of things during the war? Many people helped in the usual ways such as donating supplies, money, helping with medecine. But no one was as genuine as Anna with her work. She was loved because she wanted to make the soldiers feel like a new person again. Like a loved human. That is why Ladd was so highly praised for her work.

A soldier after war



The same soldier with one of Ladd's masks

Some of Ladd's masks hanging at Red Cross

Ladd working on a mask

Sources:

History Channel- I used this souce to get the basic background info of Anna Ladd, that she was an artist, and what she did during the WWI.

Maker Of Masks, Restorer of Dreams by: Jacquie Sewell - I used this source to get a deeper meaning behind what she did during the war and how the masks affected the people and what she did after the war.

Archives of American Art - This site told me about the letters she sent to her family and friends about what she was doing and the reward she felt afterwards.

Chronicling America- I sued this source to get more of a background about her art before. She was very popular because a lot of her work apperead in newspapers.
Youtube-This youtube video showed me Anna doing her work. It was very interesting to watch all the detail she puts into her work and how she does it.