Bust of George Washington Carver, circa 1941

Benjamin Akines, an African-American bricklayer and amateur artist from Mississippi, created this bust of noted agricultural scientist George Washington Carver. He sculpted Carver's image based only on a photograph. Akines, a church elder, credited his modeling skill to divine inspiration. Knowing that Henry Ford held Carver in high esteem, Akines presented this work to him in 1941.