War is clearly a test of human nature. We have war heroes and we have war criminals. The heroes obviously brought out compassion while the criminals brought out the terror in human nature.
One of those compassionate individuals during the world war I was Anna Coleman Watts Ladd, an American sculptor who moved to France with her spouse in 1917. In France, she was introduced to Francis Derwent Wood, where she encountered many young men who had suffered from horrific injuries. Francis Wood operated a studio called “Tin Noses Shop” where he made painted metal masks for some of the severely disfigured servicemen.
Francis Derwent Wood was able to meticulously recreate the patient’s original appearance, both from their surviving features and from pre-injury photographs.
Ladd was inspired by the work done by wood and she created her own studio called “Studio for Portrait-Masks” where she continued to change lives of many severely wounded and disfigured soldiers. (H/T)
More info: Rare Historical Photos | Library of Congress
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Anna Coleman Watts Ladd was an American sculptor.
Ladd was inspired by work done by Francis Derwent Wood who created face masks for severely injured WWI warriors in his “Tin Noses Shop”
After liaising with Derwent Wood and with support from the American Red Cross, Anna opened her own mask studio where she continued her work on severely wounded WWI warriors.
During this particular period, many soldiers were worried about their appearances.
The so-called mutilés were so wounded, some of their faces were barely recognizable.
Most of them were doomed to a life of total isolation because these victim has faced tragic events during WWI.
Using Ladd’s unbelievable talent, she protected many men during WWI.
In 1932, French Government made Chevalier of the Legion in order to honor her charitable work.
After reading this story, don’t forget to tell us what you think about Ladd’s incredible talent.
Watch this video to learn more about Ladd’s work!
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