Henry Gilbert’s papers span the entire course of his life, from his baby hair to the cast made of his face after his death.

Although death masks now seem ghoulish to many people, they used to be remarkably popular, especially before photography made it easy to reproduce a person’s likeness. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (across the street from the Gilmore Music Library) has several death masks, including one of Thornton Wilder and another that may be Napoleon.