Prosthetic leg worn by Carl Brashear

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A solid fiberglass prosthetic left leg (including below knee, calf, ankle), and foot. The leg, or laminated frame, is a light brown, with a calf-high black sock taped up around the calf with black tape. The top of the leg, or frame, is cut to fit around the knee (cut lower in the back for joint movement and bending at the knee) and has a leather harness attached, creating a flexible inner socket-like formation. The light-colored leather harness has elastic elements, a silver buckle used for adjusting length, and is attached to the proper left and proper right side of the body of the leg, creating a circular strap that would wrap around the leg, holding it in place. The foot is slightly arched, with the toe area pointed slightly upward. The interior of the leg frame is hollow until about halfway down the calf, where it then comes together at a point.

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