Documenting Forensic Facial Reconstruction: Bringing the Barnum Museum’s Mummy to life

Last week I traveled to New York City to document a rare process that museums almost never get to capture in real time: a forensic facial reconstruction in progress.

A 3D printed skull provided the structural reference used to shape the reconstruction from the first layer onward.

The Barnum Museum’s Egyptian mummy has been part of the collection since the late 1800s. This project was not about spectacle. The goal was to return a sense of personhood - to help audiences encounter her as an individual who lived a life, rather than defining her only by death and mummification.

The reconstruction began with a 3D printed skull, the anatomical base used to build the face layer by layer during the workshop.

As RPCreative, I focus on documentation that institutions can actually reuse - for interpretation, education, fundraising, and long-term archival value. This project is a good example of that kind of work.

What happened at the workshop

Using anatomical markers as guides, facial features are refined layer by layer to build an accurate likeness grounded in skeletal structure.

The reconstruction took place during a week-long workshop at the New York Academy of Art led by forensic imaging specialist Larry N. “Joe” Mullins. Using a 3D print of the woman’s skull as the base, he built the face layer by layer: facial musculature first, then skin, then the refinement of features and hair in plasticine.

I documented the work as it unfolded, alongside videographer William Sarris (William Sarris Productions), capturing the transformation step by step and in a form the Museum can repurpose across programs and platforms.

Why Forensic Facial Reconstruction Documentation Matters for Institutions

Forensic imaging specialist Larry N. “Joe” Mullins explains the reconstruction process during the workshop while documentation cameras capture the session in real time.

For museums, historical societies, universities, and cultural nonprofits, the most valuable part of a project like this is the process - the decisions, sequencing, and expert methods that you cannot recreate once the work is finished.

Larry N. “Joe” Mullins studies the form closely as he refines the sculpture, adjusting subtle details that shape the final likeness.

That is why the documentation matters. It creates usable assets that can support:

• exhibit and gallery interpretation

• education and public programs

• development and donor communications

• institutional archives and future research

• grant reporting and future proposals

For funders and grant reviewers, strong documentation becomes part of the evidence trail: it shows the work happening, demonstrates public-facing value, and helps connect outcomes back to the original goals.

The two-minute highlight, and what comes next

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvdYCK9Uhmc

This short film captures the Barnum Museum mummy’s facial reconstruction as it unfolded, documenting how a 3D-printed skull was transformed into a lifelike face for interpretation, education, and archival use.

The two-minute video, “Face to Face: Forensic Facial Reconstruction of the Barnum Museum’s Mummy,” is a short visual overview of the reconstruction process. There is no dialogue, and that is intentional - it allows the Museum to use the piece flexibly in gallery settings, presentations, and online.

It also serves as a preview of a larger project in development that will incorporate additional expert perspectives, expanding the story beyond the studio and into deeper historical and scientific context.

The biggest impact: a shift in how people relate to her

The finished reconstruction presents a lifelike portrait, offering a new way for audiences to connect with the individual behind the artifact.

A skull print is clinical. A reconstructed face changes the room.

Once the features become recognizable, it becomes harder to treat the subject as an object and easier to consider her as a person. That shift is exactly what this project was designed to support: interpretation rooted in empathy, clarity, and respect, with documentation that helps institutions sustain that understanding over time.

If your museum or cultural organization is exploring a similar project, or you want to document complex work in a way that is clear, grant friendly, and built to last, For details, Get in Touch.