Veteran children's author McClafferty takes a look at the life of George Washington by chronicling the fascinating process of creating life-sized s...
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Sep 14, 2011
Riley
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When you think of the face of George Washington, what comes to mind? The visage that graces the dollar bill, perhaps? Maybe his profile on the quarter? Or is it the majestic pose chiseled into the side of Mount Rushmore beside Presidents Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln? In her fascinating new book due out this month, The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon, Carla Killough McClaffery explains that not one of the above-mentioned images—or any other image of Washington p
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May 16, 2011
Heidi
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None of the paintings of George Washington that most Americans are familiar with are considered truly accurate by many historians, this includes the painting used to create the image of Washington on the one-dollar bill. In 2005, a group of historians, scientists, and skilled artisans at Mount Vernon decided to try to create life-size models of Washington at three major points in his life. The book describes these efforts and the incredible amount of work that went into the creating of these t
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Apr 09, 2011
Karen
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Review copy from Lerner Publishing
Just in time for our annual trip to DC! Every painted portrait of George Washington is a little different -- no one image seems to capture the "real" first president. The most famous portrait of him is the one used to create the image on the one-dollar bill, but people tend to think he looks "old and grumpy." Was he really? The evidence doesn't seem to support that at all! This is the story of a team effort to create three life-size More...
Just in time for our annual trip to DC! Every painted portrait of George Washington is a little different -- no one image seems to capture the "real" first president. The most famous portrait of him is the one used to create the image on the one-dollar bill, but people tend to think he looks "old and grumpy." Was he really? The evidence doesn't seem to support that at all! This is the story of a team effort to create three life-size More...
Mar 19, 2011
Elizabeth
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Forensic anthropology meets the guy on the one dollar bill. That's one way of putting it anyway. Walk into many a classroom and tell the kids "Look! I've a book here on George Washington! Who wants it?" and prepare to be buried in groans. An alternative take: Walk into many a classroom and show the kids pages 8 and 9 of Carla Killough McClafferty's The Many Faces of George Washington. There they will see an array of Washington portraits so diverse that you might as well be looking
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Aug 26, 2011
Cathy
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http://nonfictiondetectives.blogspot.com...
The Nonfiction Detectives Review:
When I first picked up a copy of The Many Faces of George Washington I thought to myself, "Not another book about George." It seems like the library shelves are bulging with biographies about our nation's first president, and some George Washington books are better than others. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Carla Killough McClafferty's take of on the George Washington biography. It's More...
The Nonfiction Detectives Review:
When I first picked up a copy of The Many Faces of George Washington I thought to myself, "Not another book about George." It seems like the library shelves are bulging with biographies about our nation's first president, and some George Washington books are better than others. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Carla Killough McClafferty's take of on the George Washington biography. It's More...
Jun 21, 2011
Flipped through this -- fascinating topic for anyone interested in history and its recreation. Goodreads description:
""No picture accurately resembled him in the minute traits of his person . . . there was an expression of his face that no painter had succeeded in taking." --London's New Monthly Magazine in 1790 George Washington's face has been painted, printed, and engraved more than a billion times since his birth in 1732. And yet even in his lifetime, no picture se More...
""No picture accurately resembled him in the minute traits of his person . . . there was an expression of his face that no painter had succeeded in taking." --London's New Monthly Magazine in 1790 George Washington's face has been painted, printed, and engraved more than a billion times since his birth in 1732. And yet even in his lifetime, no picture se More...
Oct 29, 2011
Elizabeth
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So much more than just another biography of George Washington, this book alternates chapters telling Washington's bio with chapters about a project started at Mount Vernon to bring Washington to life. Artists, forensic scientists, textiles experts, taxidermists and more collaborated to produce three life-size wax figures to display at Mount Vernon--one of Washington at nineteen as a surveyor in the American wilderness, one of him riding his horse (they even took pains to get the color and body
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Mar 28, 2011
Denise
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I was fortunate enough to receive a pre publication copy of this book to review.
A wonderful source for anyone interested in George Washington. I have always felt that our first president was a man that very few in his times our ours would be able to equal. This book enforced that idea. It was fascinating to see the many different ways he was captured by different artists and sculptors as well as the way modern technology is able to recreate his image. I especially liked the way they are More...
A wonderful source for anyone interested in George Washington. I have always felt that our first president was a man that very few in his times our ours would be able to equal. This book enforced that idea. It was fascinating to see the many different ways he was captured by different artists and sculptors as well as the way modern technology is able to recreate his image. I especially liked the way they are More...
Apr 03, 2011
Shelley
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Oh my God, this book is SO COOL. It's a mix of forensic anthropology and history and documents how all these amazing scientists and historians and others used clues and evidence to create statues of what George Washington really looked like at ages 19, 45 and 57. (Hint: not what you think, based on the crappy portrait used on the dollar bill.) How they pieced this together was utterly fascinating and, dare I repeat, SO COOL. The history was also interesting, for context, but for me, it was all a
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May 31, 2011
Reader
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Sometimes forensic anthropology books have the unintended effect of boring their potential audience to tears. Not this one! Here the author shows how a group of folks go about finding out what a person looked like WITHOUT the benefits of a skeleton to work off of. The solution consists of everything from written clothing measurements to death masks. In the end, the book shows us three statues of Washington created to look as he did at three different points in his life. Along the way it als
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Dec 29, 2011
David
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The Many Faces of George Washington: Remaking a Presidential Icon by Carla Killough McClafferty follows the story of a team of historians, scientists, and artisans who set out to change the image of our first president, by creating three full-body representations of Washington as he was at key moments in his life.
When the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association needed to beter inform visitors about George Washington, they devised a plan. A team of experts, including a forensic anthropologis More...
When the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association needed to beter inform visitors about George Washington, they devised a plan. A team of experts, including a forensic anthropologis More...
Dec 05, 2011
Debbie
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Great job toggling between George Washington's endeavors on behalf of our country and the sleuthing and craftsmanship it took to recreate his image at several points in his life. Really the whole book shows what wonders dedication to purpose can create. Given that it is aimed at children, the detail about the craftsmanship might be a bit overwhelming (sort of situation where you now expect a videoclip to show how it is done with voiceover explaining details) but it is a wonderful record to have.
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May 04, 2011
Nina
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The Many faces of George Washington wasn’t what I expected it to be. It felt like reading a textbook, in a way it is, and I didn’t liked it. The history part of the story wasn’t for me, which is weird, as I am a history student. What I did liked was the bit of telling about the reconstruction of his face. Very interesting! If you want to know more about George Washington, you should get this book, unfortunately it wasn’t for me.
Aug 22, 2011
Katy Jane
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My favorite thing about the book is that it personified Washington. He became so real to me that he became a friend.
I also loved the patriotism in the book and even cried on a few parts for the pride of our beginnings and the sadness of what our country has ended up like.
I absolutely loved this book and it made me want to visit every location mentioned in it.
I also loved the patriotism in the book and even cried on a few parts for the pride of our beginnings and the sadness of what our country has ended up like.
I absolutely loved this book and it made me want to visit every location mentioned in it.
Feb 24, 2011
Ed
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Fascinating look at the many disparate ways artists have portrayed George Washington, and the painstaking work of a group of experts to create "authentic" representations of him in different stages of life.
Jun 27, 2011
Rachel
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Fascinating combination of history and present day recreations. The timelines are juxtaposed very well and there are many fascinating facts.
Jun 22, 2011
Kate Hastings
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Grades 5+. An interesting look at how our first president has been portrayed in art and how he really looked.
Sep 06, 2011
Phoebe
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Interesting but wordy account of how a team of historians and artists try to show what George Washington REALLY looked like at three different stages of life, to counteract the unflattering dollar bill portrait. The photographs of their results are stunningly realistic, and show how actually quite good looking Washington was, especially at 6 foot 2. Too bad he had all of those horrendous dental issues, which are certainly addressed but not with as much humor and pathos as in the picture book by
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Nov 10, 2011
Allison
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A good book that looks at the man who was Washington and also the effort to recreate his visage using a combination of art and science which was made all that much harder because an old contract forbids his remains from being exhumed. I really found this book interesting and had a lot of great detail including images of his and an explanation why his toothless state effected his appearance. The final recreations, wax figures of Washington at 19, 45, and 57 are spectacular. The book isn't bad e
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Apr 12, 2011
Heather
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This fascinating book combines details with George Washington's life with the work of artists, scientists, and scholars who created life size replicas of Washington. I was intrigued by the discussion of the many different portraits of Washington which all seemed to portray a different man. Also, I loved seeing the clever means that were used to figure out features and appearance.
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