Writer takes new look at first president

BENTON — Carla Killough McClafferty enjoys watching the History Channel, which seems logical for an author of biographies and other historical topics.

One day in 2008, she watched a documentary on how teams of experts worked together to find out what George Washington really looked like and to create life-size images ofthe father of the country at different ages. The work involved 3-D laser scanning and research on 18th-century textiles and wigmaking, along with the talents of artists and craftsman of all kinds.

“The science involved attracted me because of my background in radiology,” McClafferty said at her home in Benton. “I thought this should be my next book. It was perfect for me because it combines science and art, and history and biography, which I love.”

The author of four other nonfiction books for young people, McClafferty said almost everyone thinks they know what Washington looked like. He is, after all, seen every day on the $1 bill. She said that is actually unfortunate for both Washington and for Americans.

The portrait by Gilbert Stuart on which the bill’s image is based is of a 64-year-old Washington in the third year of his second term. He had recently had his last tooth removed, and his false teeth (which were not wood) were painful and made speaking difficult. Washington was embarrassed by the way his dentures made his lips bulge, McClafferty said.

That may explain the solemn, even grumpy look recorded in the painting, she said.

“You can’t see the 19-year-old surveyor or the Revolutionary War general in that picture. It is the image of an old man,” she said. “He was a strong, handsome, viral man.”

Part of McClafferty’s book The Many Faces of GeorgeWashington: Remaking a Presidential Icon is about the scientific research and technology used to create images of Washington at 19, 45 and at 57, when he first took office as president. The rest of the book talks about what kind of man Washington was at those ages.

“The book, which I describe as CSI meets the Biography Channel, explains how the team discovered the way Washington really looked,” McClafferty said. “This book was written for young people, but adults canenjoy and learn something from the story of the images and the man as well.”

The author said she used comments from Washington’s contemporaries.

“He was described as the best horseman and best dancer in Virginia,” McClafferty said. “Those were the two most important qualities in 18th-century Virginia, and he was best at both.”

She said Washington was the first American celebrity, receiving all the attention and adoration of a rock star. However, McClafferty said, she believes Washington was a humble man.

“Many writers have said he was pompous, but as he grew older, he was quite humble,” she said.

Before she could begin the book, McClafferty needed the approval and blessing of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which owns and preserves Washington’s home along the Potomac. The organization’s permission gave her access tothe three life-size images of the president and the people who made the project a reality.

The faces and hands of the images were built from wax based on a statue of Washington as general of the army in the American Revolution. The French artist Jean-Antonie Houdon took hundreds of measurements on Washington during a stay at Mount Vernon and created a life-size statue of the general that has been in the Virginia Capitol since it was finished.

In creating the three new images, these measurements were used; then computerized adjustments were made to show the younger and older Washington.

“You might think of crumbly wax statues that you might see elsewhere, but these are painted and colored to be the best depictions of Washington,” she said. “The bodies were covered by clothing researched by the textile museum at Colonial Williamsburg and created by craftsmen under the direction of StudioEIS in New York.”

McClafferty said the eyes were produced to capture Washington’s blue-gray eyes and were clear at 19, and more red was added as the man portrayed in the images aged.

The book took almost threeyears to write and publish.

“Publishing can be a very slow process,” she said, “from the beginning of the idea to the finished publication.”

All of McClafferty’s books have been award-winners. Her other books include biographies of scientist Marie Curie and Holocaust hero Varian Fry, along with a book on X-rays. Her first and most personal book, Forgiving God , is the story of her son’s death in an accident in 1988.

“It was a difficult spiritual battle, and I realized that I was supposed to write a book about my experience,” she said.

The book was published in 1995.

“Writing nonfiction books for young people, I found the book has to be interesting and written in a way that has never been done before,” McClafferty said.

She moved to Benton late in 2011, and the Saline County Library will host McClafferty for a presentation at 6 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library, 1800 Smithers Drive in Benton.

The new book on Washington is published by Carolrhoda Books.

Staff writer Wayne Bryan can be reached at (501) 244-4460 or wbryan@arkansasonline.com.

Tri-Lakes, Pages 50 on 01/19/2012

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