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WEB EXTRA: A Look into the Museum Archives

Holly Wright, Nelson-Atkins archivist, holds the death mask of Mary Atkins.
photo: Laura Spencer, KCUR
Holly Wright, Nelson-Atkins archivist, holds the death mask of Mary Atkins.

The Spencer Art Reference Library at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art includes books and magazines, and also papers, photographs, and objects (like this death mask) in the Museum Archives.By Laura Spencer

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-804814.mp3

Kansas City, MO – Archives assistant Holly Wright describes an unusual object: the death mask of Mary Atkins, one of the two people for whom the museum was named. According to Wikipedia: "A death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person's face following death." They can be mementos, or used to create portraits.

To find out more about museum founders William Rockhill Nelson and Mary McAfee Nelson, check
here.

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