History and high tech intersected in a 3D digital scanning and printing project of the famous Laura Secord bust at the Niagara Historical Society Museum
In 1901, Canadian sculptor Mildred Peel crafted the lovely and much-celebrated bust of Laura Secord which adorns the memorial at the Secord gravesite in Drummond Hill Cemetery. Admired by many as the most evocative and beautiful artistic portrayal of the famed Canadian heroine ever produced, the bronze bust was made from a plaster casting master which now resides in the Niagara Historical Society and Museum in Niagara on the Lake.
On June 12, 2013, Laura Secord’s famous bust was bathed in the eerie patterned light of a three-dimensional digital scanner, capturing its every nuance and detail in a 3D shape file. The resulting digital image of the bust can be used for visualization, 3D animation, and – perhaps most excitingly – for the creation of exact 3D replicas of the famous bust at virtually any scale, created using state-of-the-art 3D digital printers at The Generator at One in St. Catharines. The entire scanning process took place onsite at the Museum on Wednesday, 12 June, from 1-3 p.m. The event was open to the public for the price of a regular museum admission, and attracted a showing of history buffs as well as techno-geeks.
Digital image guru Tobias Wiegand of Morro Images was on hand to coordinate the project. Wiegand brought a wealth of experience in digital image creation to the initiative, drawing upon a wide portfolio of work in film, television, video games, and computer animation. Moving into 3D printing was a natural evolution for him and his company.
Left: The full-sized plaster casting master by Canadian sculptor Mildred Peel.
Center: A view of the opposite profile of the actual bronze bust at Drummond Hill Cemetery.
Right: The miniature 3D printed replica created from the digital scanning and printing process.
[Images: Niagara Historical Society; David T. Brown; TV Cogeco]
About the Laura Secord Bust Replicas
The Friends of Laura Secord, the group which conceived of and commissioned the project, used the technology to create an archival image of the famous Secord bust, and want to use the resulting detailed digital shapefile to produce scale replicas of the sculpture that are accurate down to the finest detail.
These impressively faithful bust models were produced on demand in a limited edition for the Bicentennial, and sold to subscribers as a fundraiser by the Friends of Laura Secord. Proceeds from the sale were used to fund the group’s various community projects and initiatives.
For further information on the 3D digital scanning and printing technology used to create the bust replicas, please contact Tobias Wiegand.
Left: Scanner being used to create a 3D digital rendering of the bust from the original plaster casting master created by famed Canadian artist Mildred Peel. Top right: Bronze Laura Secord bust sculpted by Canadian artist Mildred Peel, which was installed on her gravesite at Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls in 1901 [Niagara Historical Society Museum]. Bottom right: 3D printer, which uses durable synthetic powder resins to create a scaled-down version of the bust in three dimensions – one thin layer at a time [The Generator at One].
LOCATION OF THE LAURA SECORD BUST CASTING MASTER
Niagara Historical Society and Museum
43 Castlereagh St
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0
contact@nhsm.ca
Telephone: (905) 468-3912
Website: www.niagarahistorical.museum
LOCATION OF THE LAURA SECORD BRONZE BUST
Laura Secord Gravesite
Drummond Hill Cemetery
6110 Lundy’s Lane
Niagara Falls, Ontario
L2G 1T1
Parking for Drummond Hill Cemetery:
6204 Buchner Pl
Niagara Falls, Ontario
(Enter through gates on west side of cemetery)
Click for interactive map of parking site
Click for interactive map from cemetery gate to gravesite
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