The sun., 1882-02-26
DECLINE OF WAX WORK.
Collections Of Figure. No Longer Attractive
for Museums.

"The intempcratc family was always rag
ged 1T is true. but fat and saucy.looking all tho
same. Tho father. who was continually beat
ing the old woman. had jolly look. as if ho
meant it to ~ understood as all "A Joke, and she
didn't seem to mind it; while the children
bowling for bread appeared to br only in fun
But Tor II most dcpruvcd- looking lot despite
their good clothes. commend mo to our model
temperance family at dinner Tho old man
was at first looking nj his wife with an amahe
smile. but. in course Of time. his expression
changed and dcepcned to II diuboical grin. aud
blotchcS broke out On his face. cspe tally his
nose. painfully like ruin blossoms; :; and. now and
Then. one sidG' G'of his lower jaw would lop down.
As for the wife and mother. her nose used to
swell and droop until II would look like II fin
yer with feon: and the front top othcr head.
what n phrenoogst would call hcr moral re-
einn usrdto cave in frequently and WAS showed
into place Ivy sticks pokcd up from the back Of
her mock. As for the children-well. their heads
used u llutten and bulge. and melt down. and
swell in the most surprising ways, giving them
~n endless variety Of informal expressions.
You so. the whole lot was made of WAY that
was much too soft Tor thr purpose. and they
c?rIl not stand tn" hent Il ] ]trnt,nE season.
of comrades who were discussing tho history of
waNwork figures in side shows and museums
in this country. and the entire dying out of
popular interest in such exhibitions in late
years. From the frngnentary and discursivc
chat. generally reminiscent. however some in
tcrrstins information IN was picked up.
Hiram Powers, the sculptor, was one of the
first If not in,lrod the first Of the waN-hgurr
makers Of this country. and he also made heads
of pallrr- -n,ache and of rnr"r- -m,"he base with
TaS Sw sfH N IT, H nsh MIm hs "f @aal '1r
in the plain languagr of thirty years ago but
rerrhriNirncd DanttS Dream # The iniern?:."to
was destroyed in the burning of Bowery
museum ~ 1873.
Col. Nrilrr Twenty years ago h. madr figures
in u loft in Park row. Then he moved to
SbG"t h@ wbk M ksR at MAs w'rh r R Mh
Soon after the close NJ the wni he travelled
through ,hr sounlry with a;olrctinn OF i,:prrs
erals. both Federal aud Coincidence and dur
ing thc Grntcnpial Eynosition ia rhiln,,lelphia
70 % ol" agS good III; da 'sS money eShibtng" very
The old Generals of the war of, the rebellion
w,rc t"chSd ~ nur rsdrSfsed AMI rechrStsM.d
in the Battle Of Bunker Hill Signing, Of the
Declaration of lndepcndGncc. W,lshington
ac.. the entire COLLECTION numbering more than
2oo figures. Most II the. Way forcfathers
persisted in the burning q another Bowery
museum in 1877. but some still exist.
e Few VI them. however" an cll-timer inter
polat",l for all saved from tn" ilrc 4 '7I went
which happened then bc stored in southport.
Conn. to scare away tramrS.
buTnuW ON museum WIS Tl'n III WIN
works. but they were nearly All of scriptural
and moral tendency. There. too. were the
mechanical wax figures Of the S.roping Beauty
and the Dying /ouave. without which no we'll
regulated pharmaceutical or other-is
deemed complete. even unto this dav. amy
To lack the original and only club with which
Capt. Cook w;ls killed
One Of the finest lots of WAX figures ever i'm
ported tOthis country consisted II about twenty
figures. supposed To- represent the tortur,S II
the Spanish inuuisition u collection that would
horrible and furnished material for countless
nightmare, To folks of ordinary nerves They
were said to have cost originally 5000. but
Wes. Jukes and John Nathans Tor s2,i. bought
them for u side show to "A circus. Whom they
came to look them over however they shud-
dcred packed UP the awful things and slowed
them away somewhere in Forty-third street.
Jukns. by the way. il shilfu in frNilmpiuE wax
heads and adapting them T., popular use.
Sid. MOnlthurpe. now Washington artist.
made AT New Haven many years aEu ErouI, NJ
wax iigar.s Representing the marriage oi Nr.
and Mrs. Tom Thumb. Persons knew what
IL was by the abci on the case. When that
wedding ceased to be- live topic tho little
figures Mere metanorphosed into u funay httlc
German band. fitted out with toy hu..lcs. Sc..
and had new lease of popularity ia a side
show down south
Vanueci in old times, and Frank Fields NJ q
somewhat later date, and several others are
remembered "a among the makers Of wax
figures for shows In fact. ii used To- L.. an
article of faith among slGc--hUw LSi museum
figures and the crop Of monstrosities resultant
WAS sufficient evidence ot how widely that idea
was eNprrlmonted upon. Nova Glye the show
men say the only wax figures which possess
any attraction for the publio are those which
have clOckwoik inside thein and do something.