Anna Coleman Ladd: The Sculptor Who Crafted Faces for WWI Soldiers
Anna Coleman Ladd (1878–1954), an American sculptor, is recognized for her innovative work in facial prosthetics during and after World War I. A native of Philadelphia, she pursued her studies in sculpture across France and Italy before marrying a doctor. As the war erupted, the couple relocated to Europe, where British art critic Lewis Lind inspired her to assist soldiers with facial injuries. In December 1917, she established a prosthetics workshop in Paris, supported by the American Red Cross. Ladd trained surgeons and crafted realistic masks from galvanized copper, building on techniques from British sculptor Francis Derwent Wood. Approximately 200 masks were created, but none remain today. After returning to the USA in 1919, she continued her artistic endeavors by making war memorials.
Key facts
- Anna Coleman Ladd was an American sculptor born in Philadelphia in 1878.
- She opened a prosthetics workshop in Paris in December 1917, partially funded by the American Red Cross.
- She was inspired by British sculptor Francis Derwent Wood, who pioneered the use of galvanized copper for masks.
- Ladd's masks were made from copper, painted with hard enamel, and featured real human hair for facial features.
- She created approximately 200 masks for disfigured soldiers during World War I.
- Her workshop was designed to feel like a salon, with cushions, flowers, and tea.
- After the war, she returned to the USA and created war memorials, but many of her later busts were left faceless.
- None of the original copper masks have survived; they either deteriorated or were buried with their owners.
Entities
Artists
- Anna Coleman Ladd
- Francis Derwent Wood
- Mary Louise Brent
- Jane Poupelet
Institutions
- American Red Cross
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Children’s Bureau of the American Red Cross
- Library of Congress
- Archives of American Art
- Hoover Institution Library & Archives
- Paris Interuniversity Library of Health
- Paris Cité University
Locations
- Philadelphia
- France
- Italy
- Paris
- USA
- London
- Pennsylvania
- Boston
- Toulouse
- Massachusetts
- Manchester
- Beverly Farms
- Versailles
- Washington, DC