Detail of George Washington statue inside the Washington Monument. As our guide told us, the making of this statue was aided by the use of a face mold, so this should be a pretty authentic representation of what the face of George Washington actually looked like.
A cast was made by covering the face with a layer of plaster, with straws placed in the nostrils for breathing. Two layers were usually applied to allow the plaster to harden and when both layers dry, the entire mold was removed from the face.