The Faces Of War And The Rise Of Reconstructive Artistry In David Lubin's New Book

Flags and Faces: The Visual Culture of America's First World War is a new book by Wake Forest University Charlotte C. Weber Professor of Art David Lubin.

The book chronicles public perceptions about World War I and how they were shaped in large part by American artists, photographers, and graphic designers. The book's second section, “Fixing Faces,” looks at the devastating facial injuries suffered by soldiers on the battlefield, and their impact on families back home. WWI era sculptor Anna Coleman Ladd is featured in David's book. Using galvanized copper, Ladd created lifelike masks for soldiers horribly disfigured during trench warfare.

David's new book, based on his 2008 Franklin D. Murphy Lectures at the University of Kansas, is just out on University of California Press. 

David Lubin spoke with David Ford about the relationship between plastic surgery and Ladd's masks, and the care and choices that went into creating these masks.