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The Adrian Flatt hand collection is a collection of plaster and bronze casts of human
Dr. Adrian Flatt began his collection in the late 1950s when he cast the hands of infants with congenital hand deformities in order to study them and plan his surgical procedures. He eventually cast the hands of 24 surgeons working at the medical center. He began casting hands of well-known individuals in 1962. His first celebrity hand casts were those of United States presidents
hand
A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...
s on display at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
. The casts were created by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Adrian Flatt (1921—2017), and the collection features the hands of various former United States presidents, actors, athletes, scientists, musicians, artists, astronauts, and other celebrities.
History
Dr. Adrian Flatt began his collection in the late 1950s when he cast the hands of infants with congenital hand deformities in order to study them and plan his surgical procedures. He eventually cast the hands of 24 surgeons working at the medical center. He began casting hands of well-known individuals in 1962. His first celebrity hand casts were those of United States presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
and Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
, and the collection grew to include the cast hands of over 120 individuals.
Dr. Flatt created the molds using the same type of resin used in the creation of dental composite
Dental composite resins (better referred to as "resin-based composites" or simply "filled resins") are dental cements made of synthetic resins. Synthetic resins evolved as restorative materials since they were insoluble, of good tooth-like appea ...
s. The hands were placed in a shoe box which he would fill with resin, although in the case of André the Giant
André René Roussimoff (; 19 May 1946 – 28 January 1993), better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which ...
he used much larger hat boxes. The collection has been on display at the Baylor University Medical Center since 1982, when Dr. Flatt began working there. The collection also includes historical hand casts of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
, which were created in 1860.
Reception
According to Dr. Jay Mabrey, the collection is the most popular site on theBaylor University
Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...
campus. '' SFGate'' described the collection as "humaniz ngthe people attached to the hands", stating that the exhibit invites viewers to contemplate what the hands have accomplished. The collection was described by the ''Dallas Observer
''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...
'' as "the best place to look at a bunch of hands", and the ''Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'' called the collection "a must-see". The casts have been praised as "life-like and precise" by ''Atlas Obscura
''Atlas Obscura'' is an United States, American-based travel and exploration company. It was founded in 2009 by author Joshua Foer and documentary filmmaker/author Dylan Thuras. It catalogs unusual and obscure travel destinations via professiona ...
'', which noted that the attention to detail showcases Dr. Flatt's "fascination with the unique size, shape, and signature of each mitt". The collection also featured in an episode of '' The Texas Bucket List,'' in which it was described as "hands down, quite a handful".
See also
*Cynthia Plaster Caster
Cynthia Dorothy Albritton (May 24, 1947 – April 21, 2022), better known by the pseudonym Cynthia Plaster Caster, was an American visual artist and self-described "recovering groupie" who gained fame for creating plaster casts of celebrities' ...
References
{{Baylor University Art collections in the United States Hands in culture Baylor University Museums in Dallas