Warner Sallman,
Head of Christ, 1940, oil painting,
Anderson University, Indiana.
The Head of Christ is a 1940 painting by American artist Warner Sallman (1892–1968). Sallman create several versions of the white, blue-eyed, longhaired Jesus looking into the distance that have become iconic for many American protestant denominations. The Baptist Bookstore initially popularized the painting, distributing various sized lithographic images for sale throughout the southern United States. The Salvation Army and the YMCA, as members of the USO, handed out pocket-sized versions of the painting to American service members heading overseas during World War II making it one of the most reproduced images of Christ.
