American sculptor, Anna Coleman Watts Ladd (1878 – 1939) worked in particular to create masks for soldiers disfigured during the First World War.
An accomplished artist
Anna Coleman Watts Ladd was born on July 15, 1878 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, USA. She spent her youth in Europe, studying sculpture in Paris and Rome. In 1905, aged 26, Anna married Maynard Ladd, a doctor with whom she moved to Boston. They will have a daughter, Gabriella May.
The young bride continued her studies with the sculptor Bela Pratt and devoted herself to his art. She makes decorative fountains, depicting nymphs, goblins, mythological creatures, portraits and busts. In 1914, she was one of the founders of the Guild of Boston Artists , and his works are presented in the exhibitions of the organization. In 1915, his work Triton babies is presented at the Universal Exhibition in San Francisco; it is now on display in a fountain in the Boston Public Garden. In parallel with her sculpture activity, she wrote two novels, Hieronymus Rides andThe Candid Adventurer , as well as two pieces that will never be performed.
Masks to help disfigured soldiers
During World War I, Maynard, a member of the American Red Cross, was sent to France in 1917 and Anna Coleman Ladd joined him there. Having learned that in London, the sculptor Francis Derwent Wood was busy making masks to help soldiers disfigured in combat, she decided to do the same in France. Corresponding with her colleague, she learned his techniques from him and, with the support of the American Red Cross, opened a studio in a few weeks.
In an atmosphere that she strives to make warm, Anna welcomes disfigured men, gets to know and studies their facial expressions to select the one she will base her mask on. The studio is decorated with flowers and American and French flags; tea or hot chocolate is prepared there, to create a relaxing atmosphere.
To begin her work, Anna collects photos of the fighter before his injuries, makes a cast of his face, and finally creates the mask to cover the scars. Finally, she paints the mask so that it does not clash with the color of the skin of the person who will wear it. With her four assistants, Anna made 185 masks until 1919; the Red Cross can then no longer subsidize the studio, and Anna has to close.
Many of the men for whom Anna and her assistants have made a mask are very grateful, as shown by the letters some have sent to her. Some had not yet returned home since the war, fearing reunion with their loved ones or refusing to be seen disfigured in this way. One of them writes to her that thanks to her, he can “live again”. Another writes to him that he will be able to marry the woman he loves.
After the closure of her studio, Anna returned to Boston and once again devoted herself to her art, with works whose themes were similar to her pre-war work. In 1932, she received the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor.
Anna Coleman Watts Ladd died on June 3, 1939 in California.