(calm bright music) - [Narrator 1] It's arguably the most recognizable image of Christ.

And that's not just in America, that's worldwide.

If there's a portrait of Jesus to be found, it's likely to be the "Sallman Head of Christ."

- [Narrator 2] When asked, what does Jesus look like?

Most people form a similar vision in their minds.

A gentle man with long hair, a beard, olive skin, and a soft, glowing spirit.

That's the Jesus most see, the Jesus painted by commercial artist, Warner Sallman, less than a century ago.

- When he was first doing work as an illustrator for the Covenant Companion, he had a cover due, and he was having something on the order of writer's block, artist's block, and was up very, very late, couldn't come up with anything, finally decided to go to bed, and then woke kind of a waking dream.

He had this image of Jesus and he went into his studio and made a quick thumbnail sketch, and the next morning, got up, and produced a charcoal drawing.

This was 1924.

- [Narrator 2] Sallman looked at his creation as a gift from God, but he could have never really known then the impact it would have on the world.

Shortly after his dream that one night, his sketch would become connected with a Christian publishing company from Anderson, Indiana, now known as Warner Press.

- Well, in 1940, Kriebel and Bates, they were personnel of Warner Press.

They were given a project that they needed to find some strong inspirational art for a wall calendar, which that's what we had produced at the time.

And so, they had heard of a commercial artist named, Warner Sallman from Chicago.

And so, they decided to travel to Chicago and just dialogue with him and see some of his commercial work.

And so, Fred Bates actually went to his home in Chicago and went into his home.

And when he noticed he walked in the door, there was the "Head of Christ," the original painting that was hanging over top of the fireplace.

And what had happened was he had painted that for a seminary student, for a graduation present, and his wife had convinced him that was probably one of the best works that he had ever done, and he needed to keep it.

So they hung it above the fireplace.

And so, as the dialogue began, Kriebel and Bates offered him a hundred dollars for the original piece, and they brought it back and actually used it then for the 1940 wall calendar.

- [Narrator 2] That image on that wall calendar struck a deep cord with people all around the world.

Soon, the "Head of Christ" began showing up in people's homes, offices, and churches.

- You know, it's on pencils, it's on postcards, it's on cups, it's on covers of Bibles.

It's in practically every church, and one time, it was in every school.

- Their first initial order was a hundred thousand, and it was absorbed within 60 days.

That's how fast it was selling through.

And then after their first year, they had launched his "Head of Christ," it went to 1 million.

And then, as we have progressed with sales over the year, has actually come to over 1 billion products that we have produced with the specific images of Christ.

(calm glorious music ends) (bomb exploding) (machine gun blasting) (solemn gospel music) - [Narrator 2] During World War II, a Richmond man named, Carl Duning, was inspired by "Sallman's Head of Christ."

He started a ministry called Christ in Every Purse.

That ministry first began as a way to inspire the men from his church fighting overseas in the war.

Eventually, the effort was supported by the Salvation Army.

- He wrote 'em letters and inside each letter, he enclosed this Head of Christ card.

And he had a script on that.

It was, it changed over the years, but it said something to the effect, "This card will help you in your thinking."

So when those soldiers were in complex situations where their life may be in danger or other times, they could reflect on this picture that would remind them of the presence of God.

- I've heard many stories from the servicemen where they kept it in their pocket with them beside their family's picture.

And we've heard stories where it's actually saved their life because they had that piece of art to relate to.

And I think during World War II, when the servicemen had received the pocket cards, that really built the momentum because of the peace itself, people could relate to it.

And then before you know it, people really could get inspired and felt comfort by the work that he had done.

(solemn gospel music continues) - [Narrator 2] In the 20 years Duning lived, after World War II, he stayed committed to his mission.

It's believed he sent out hundreds of thousands of Warner Sallman's pocket cards in his lifetime.

Duning's lasting memoirs include personal letters from people all over the world who say their lives were touched by Sallman's artwork and Duning's passion.

- Well, I believe he did it because he had a heart of Christ that he wanted to evangelize and have more people know about Christ.

So I think that's how it started, and it continued in that mode that years after the war and the research I had all the way up to his death in '66, that he still was going around the state of Indiana and other adjacent states.

And I saw some places where he had been in California and New York, and so across the country, passing out these cards.

So I think he just, it was his mission, his evangelism, his way of letting more people know about Jesus.

- [Narrator 2] After creating "The Head of Christ," Sallman continued his relationship with Warner Press.

In the years that followed, he painted thousands of new images of Jesus.

And if you look very closely, you may find some special messages within his art.

- Many people have a guess that there were images hidden in here to be found.

And some have identified as many as seven or 12 religious symbols.

The easiest one to see is this highlight on his forehead.

- Yes.

- Among Catholics, especially, they've said that that's a symbol of the wafer that you take at communion.

- Oh, yes.

- And they locate all sorts of other things, priests, nuns, the descending dove.

- Within this painting?

Now, what is the hidden image in this painting?

- Many people have suggested that this appears to be either the face of a lion or some kind of beast that's up in the clouds here in this very, very stormy setting of the seas that the young boy is trying to steer the ship through.

This is probably the most popular of his images, of the paintings that has a hidden image in it.

And you can see it if you look carefully, the heart shape- - [Host] Oh, yeah, - that's here.

- [Host] And was that intended?

- Yes.

- [Host] that was intended.

- And he's making a very, very specific reference to a passage in Revelation where in John's vision, he hears the Lord say, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."

- [Narrator 2] In the hundreds of paintings Sallman created throughout his years, there are certain physical qualities of Christ that he never changed.

His collar always has a crease.

And in every artwork, there's a circular highlight on his forehead.

Some believe Sallman's collection is the authoritative image of Christ because it was inspired by God.

- I saw Warner Sallman do a chalk drawing of "The Head of Christ" when I was a student.

And he was a very inspiring personality because he was so confident that what he was doing was in partnership with his revelation of who God is, and he sold it.

He sold it to me as a young student that what he was sharing was really his best reflection of the presence of God in Jesus Christ.

This is a faithful man.

This is the best he can do.

And it has made a difference for thousands of people.

That's pretty good.

- [Narrator 2] And just as faithful are those like Carl Duning, who are responsible for making this image the most reproduced artwork in the history of the world.

- The praise and the glory would be given to God.

That something that huge happened through some effort that the Holy Spirit used through my grandfather.

I don't think that he would have necessarily just said to look at me.

I think he would point to the picture and point to the heavens and say, glory be to God.

- There's something that will endure about this.

Are these Raphaels?

Oh, I doubt it, but they're Sallmans.

They are the collections of images that have reflected faithfully in the experience of millions of people.

If this meant something, the grandmother, some granddaughter is gonna say, gee, this must have some meaning for me as well, so time will tell.

(solemn gospel music ends) (bright upbeat country music) - [Narrator 1] For more "Across Indiana" stories, go to wfyi.org/acrossindiana.

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