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Biographical/Historical Information

Paul Ehrlich was a German chemist, a pioneer of modern histology, immunology and of chemotherapy, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1908. He was also one of 93 scientists that signed the controversial "Manifesto of the Ninety-Three" in 1914, which supported the actions of the German military in the early years of World War I.

Death masks are casts taken of a person's face following their death. Casts were often made from wax, clay, or plaster and were primarily used to remember the dead. The process has roots in Egyptian mummification and Mycenean Greek traditions. After the middle ages, death masks were made of prominent figures to be saved for display. Later, casts were taken of unknown corpses for future identification. Death masks were eventually replaced by photography.

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Citation

Unknown Artist: Death Mask of Paul Ehrlich, Leo Baeck Institute, 78.1822.