Leland Stanford Jr. Death Mask

I photographed this macabre item at the Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University.  It’s the death mask of Leland Stanford Jr.  In 1884 young Leland succumbed to Typhoid at the age of 15 years.  In an attempt to assuage their grief his parents founded the University that bears his name.  I’ve always found this exhibit unsettling, it’s akin to seeing a ghost.  Many objects in the Stanford collection are equally unnerving.