Q: I was a bit bored by all the clinical face masks and have thus let me inspire by all this to produce my own face mask – out of wood, of course 🙂 it is maple wood, hard and elastic, but light-weight. As you can see, the patch of clinical mask attached on the inside is replaceable. Painted with acrylic paint. I guess this goes into the category of Protection. Chris, 1719 A: Clinical face masks are something I wear only because of the pandemic, and I don’t like them. This one would be fun!. Bob

How could anything be funny about the coronavirus? However, I did get a laugh when I went to dezeen.com and saw these, plus several more, all by the photographer, Max Siedendopf. I now hope to return to answering questions about what I enjoy most… tribal masks. But people are not sending in pictures to The Mask Man like they used to. Why? Now that I can’t go anywhere and must stay in my house, I find masks even more interesting! Why don’t other people? Bob, 1690

I suspect that many people will find this blog unpleasant. Please forgive me. I have been trying to post all kinds of masks from around the world for 20 years… not just for cultural reasons, but for protection, pleasure, power, art, etc. There are well over 2000 different types of masks in the archives of MasksoftheWorld.com. This huge reference work must continue to be all-encompassing and up to date. Now we add its first anti-contagion cloth mask. I had to do it. Bob, 1682

In today’s newspaper there is a picture of a masked person condemning the killing of an Iranian general. In back of the protestore is the US Capitol. Once again we see the famous Guy Fawkes face in the news. Since the 2005 release of the film V for Vendetta, the use of stylized Guy Fawkes masks, with mustache and pointed beard, has become widespread internationally among groups protesting against politicians, banks, and financial institutions. The mask both conceals the identity of individuals and demonstrate their commitment to a shared cause. It has been used off and on during all of the 20th century, especially on November 5th in the UK.…

Occasionally I like to remind our visitors that we also include masks beyond the realm of ethnography. On the site we have a category called “Protection” in which you will find a broad assortment of masks used in many different occupations including sports. Please take a look. The bulletproof mask shown here is one of many new designs for the police and military. If you search the internet you can find a few old designs as well. To a mask collector bulletproof is now an interesting sub-category. You can find new ones retailing for as low as $100. A

This Japanese classic is for protection, not theater or masquerade. I posted a used Samurai mask on May 8, 2018, but this one is in perfect condition. Both would have been worn with a helmet and a whole suit of armor. Here is some additional background from mylearning.org… The Samurai were warrior-nobles in Japanese society, with a strong honour code called bushido. The name ‘Samurai’ means ‘ones who serve’. Before the 1550s the Samurai were fierce warriors attached to a daimyo or lord, whom they were loyal to and fought for. In the 16th Century, a politician and former Samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi persuaded warring groups of Samurai to live peacefully.…

Q:  Helmets count as a type of mask, right? I thought this one was particularly cool. Imagine showing up for a joust and your opponent is wearing this.  Found on twitter @TheHiddenWorld   Helmet (Savoyard Type) Germany 1620,  Jay, 1454   A:  Jay is right.  The face part of a helmet 1s both for protection and intimidation.  This is one of the most scary (and funny) pieces of armor from the middle ages I have ever seen. The other Savoyard helmet is not as funny, but it is in higher resolution so you can blow it up and see all the detail.  We have a category called “Protection” which also contains gas…

After the last post I want to talk more about protective masks. They are an interesting category of mask collecting. Unlike most collectable masks, they have nothing to do with ceremony or having fun. They are meant to keep the wearer from injury. But they also may have a secondary purpose of intimidating opponents. Here are some examples. You can see more protective masks by going to that category. None of them fail to impress the viewer Gas masks are often used by the military to protect soldiers from poisonous gas that the enemy might use against them. This one, like many others, would also be a little scary for…

A burka is a long, loose garment covering the whole body from head to feet, worn in public by many Muslim women. It does not have to be this color or design, but can vary, depending where you are located in the world of Islam. I think of it as a mask meant to protect women from tempting men and will add it to the “Protection” category in our archive. Do you think it qualifies as a real mask?

Many people collect them for looks or because they are avid sports fans.Other people collect all kinds of protective masks, in fact, we have on this site a category for these. What fascinates me is that this kind of safety equipment is also meant to intimidate opponents. Goalies Bernie Parent and Pelle Lindbergh were famous Philadelphia Flyers who introduced the very scary fiberglass face mask. This one was probably wore by Pelle. Others were a little different and often colorfully painted.