Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-17
The Wax Doll Business.

A correspondent OF the New York
Herald, writing from Sonneberg. gives the
following account Of the way wax dolls
, are made:
To make real wax doll or one Of pa.
pie r.mache Is quite long process. First
Of n the limbs have to be made. The
legs, either Of pot OF cotton, have to be
filed o, It with moss and sawdust, and the
same Or, 'cess is gone through with the
body and rms, the task being intrustcd to
a number OF young women. The head Ia
more difficult to make. First comes the
nfolding. from . kind OF witty brown
paste, which WIN N hard Is almost indie
structible. The lead IL nodded in two
halves, the back an, the front, and then
the two parts are jon, ned together by the
same sort Of paste he heads are made
by the thousand, Of all shapes and sizes,
and left for the moment unpublished and
sickly looking. Then theA' frame PASTE
board heads are carried to the wax-room,
where they are passed through some Sc
we're ordeals. The papier- macl,e model
heads are dipped into boiling wax, and
thus have the appearance Of real wax
dolls. But the genuine article, the rear
dolls OF wax, are made thus: The boiling
wax 10 poured into . plaster mold; it adj
heres to the sides as 1t becomes cold, and
when the mold is taken apart there Is the
beautiful wax head, but simply a shell,
and OF course very weak. The head is
cast complete, and only q small opening
Is left in the crown Of the head Then
workman takes the WAX shell and very
carefully lines II throughout with kind
OF soit paste about the thickness of card
board, which soon hardcns and gives the
head its strength and durability. After
this process the mead Is placed over hot
furnace, the wax is permitted to melt TO .
very slight degree, whcreupon ii is busted
with powder made OF potato meal aud ala
baster, to give IL delicate flesh tint In
another room the head is provided with
pair OF eyes, and IL Is no easy thing for
the workman TO select two exactly alike.
Sometimes, as the children know, dolls
squint, and this proves that the workman
who puts them In WAS not very careful in
his work. Another very skillful work
man then receives the head and finishes
oil the front appearance OF the eyes,
scooping off all the wax and aflixing the
lids in charming manner. Then eye
lashes have to be affixed, and then tho lit
tie lady has 10 be provided with teeth,
which are put In by skillful workman
one by one. A still moro interesting
study is in the hair.dressing room OF
doll mandatory. All the dolls that
come into this room are complete as far
rs their heads there they are quite a
bald as some old gentlemen of eighty who
don't wear wigs. The hair for these heads
IL first worked on 10 mesh, which fits
the dolls head so nicely that one cannC
tell but that II Is natural growth, Then
the rough head Of hair, with the doll, Is
sent TO tho female hair-dressers, who are
armed with combs and brushes and hot
curling tongs. have no small amount OF
good taste, and would, am sure, make
excellent ladies' maids. The hair Is
made up in the most beautiful manner, in
imitation Of the very newest fashions; and
then when the doll Is thus combcd and
curled IL 10 provided with delicate
chemisette and placed, with a hundred
more companions, In huge basket and
transported either to the great storerooms
or to the doll mi liner who provides II
with clothing and costumes fitting II 10
appear In the great world. This will only
give you faint idea ofhow the wax dolls
are made. have omitted many interest
ing parts OF the process, l am sure, such
as how the baby dolls are made 10 open
and shut their eyes and TO cry papa" and
"mamms, but am also sure that near
ly all children have at one time or anoth.
er looked into these mysteries Of dull
life, and description would be supertiu'
Gus,