​In the 19th century it was common for authorities to make plaster ‘death masks' of an executed criminal's face, to conduct phrenological analysis, (Focused on the measurements of the human skull). The masks were often put on public display and – not surprisingly – Ned Kelly's death mask was a source of public fascination. Kelly was hanged on 11 November 1880. An hour after his death, his hair and beard were shaved, and plaster was applied to his face and head to make a death mask. The next day, the mask was on public display in Bourke Street, along with explanations of how the shape of the head and face represented his criminal tendencies.