What Did George Washington Look Like?

ABC News ^ | 2/19/06 | ABC News

[FormerACLUmember]

George Washington is known as the father of our country, but he might also have been the original American hunk.

The History Channel decided to try to figure out what the first president looked like. A team of artists, anthropologists and forensic scientists used cutting-edge technology to reconstruct Washington's looks. The result was a whole new look for a familiar figure.

"The most difficult part of the challenge in a way was morphing backwards when there are no images of the 19-year-old," said recreation team member, Ivan Schwartz. "Our 19-year-old mystery man — the man who would become leader of the country."

The team recreated Washington at age 57 when he was president; at age 45 when he commanded troops in the Revolutionary War and as a teenage surveyor.

The three life-size figures will be displayed in the new $95-million museum and education center in Washington's home, Mount Vernon, which is scheduled to open in October.

A Real Person

"When we ask people they say, 'Well Washington was great, but he's stiff, he's formal, he wears that white wig, he's got bad teeth,' " said James Rees, the executive director of Mount Vernon, which is located outside the nation's capital. "He's a darn good looking guy. And you're going to be shocked, I think, to see Washington looking like a movie star."

[Red Boots]

Washington was very tall (6'-3") and a very imposing figure. I'm sure his physical stature helped him in his role as leader of the revolution and the infant country.

Especially as at the time the average man was only 5'5" or so.

[doc30]

Scientific American had a very deatiled article about the methods used to produce these likenesses. It was written by the team leader and is an interesting melding of forensic science and period art pieces. It turns out that a bust of Washington was based on a life-mask molded from his face. THey also learned that, when he was a child, Washington was 'corseted. It was a practice of upper level families to to this to their boys in order to give them a distinct posture. That why when you se pictures of the FOunding Fathers, they all have their shoulders back in what looks like an artificial, forced position. It's not. That's the result of this childhood corseting and how people could easily spot a 'man of society' or a 'man of stature' without previous knowledge.

[thefactor]

right up your alley... he did look a lot like barry bostwick. go figure.

[thefactor]

i love that pic, but i really love the other one in the field of snow on his horse. i'll find it and post it.

[thefactor]

brent spiner's mouth. i see it. same expression too.

[litehaus]

The nation NEEDS reminding of that incident....daily!

[Pharmboy]

Yes--there had been a few articles about this. Great stuff...

[texasbluebell]

An interesting tidbit:

"Most portraits of George Washington show him majestically mounted on a brilliant white charger. But in fact, Washington's favorite mount was a chestnut hunter named Nelson who was a gift from the Governor of Virginia, Thomas Nelson, Jr. Washington rode Nelson to fox hunts for ten years before the Revolution and took his horse with him on his many campaigns during the war. Some of General Washington's other mounts died from exhaustion carrying him through furious battles. But Nelson survived the rigors of near-starvation at Valley Forge and relentless marches from Boston to the Carolinas. During Washington's term as first U.S. President, Nelson remained his favored horse. He too remained "first in war, first in peace..." - if not first in the memory of history."

[squarebarb]

I love it too, in fact I have it framed, but that horse is way too fat for that time and that place. The Army was starving, after all.

[texasbluebell]

Link for above:

http://www.imh.org/imh/kyhpl3b.html

[Alouette]

The History Channel decided to try to figure out what the first president looked like.

Why didn't they just look at a dollar bill? ;)

[mware]

I don't know but Mr. and Mrs Washington seemed to grow to look like each other.

[Old Professer]

He always wore rouge in his portraits, probably because he was so gay.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.

But, but, but, wasn't George black?

Michael Frazier

[Diamond]

Sorry. Brent Spiner has lower cheekbones and a much bigger schnoz.

If one of these men robbed you would you be able to pick them out of a lineup?

Cordially,

[MajorityOfOne]

Agreed. I remember watching Trek back 15 years ago and wondering why, if someone went to all the trouble of creating an android, they gave him such a long beak.
(BTW, in Gore Vidal's book Burr, the mischevious duelist comments that Washington had a really broad ass. Seems like the sort of detail Vidal would comment on, though).

[AnAmericanMother]

It's actually an article written in the 1880s, probably in an excess of patriotism a la Parson Weems . . .

Snopes status: false.

Snopes leans liberal, but in this case it's correct. The language is the giveaway - it's flowery late 19th century, not the more direct language of Washington's time.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's actually an article written in the 1880s, probably in an excess of patriotism a la Parson Weems . . .

Snopes status: false.

Snopes leans liberal, but in this case it's correct. The language is the giveaway - it's flowery late 19th century, not the more direct language of Washington's time.

[AnAmericanMother]

Oh, I don't know. You could hang a hat on his hipbones . . .

But he's no hunter such as a Virginian would own. He looks like a warmblood.

There are so few historical painters who are really up on horses. Some Civil War artists can't even draw a horse correctly.