Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1886-01-30
MAKING EFFIGIES OF WAX
A Queer Business that IS Car
ried on in Philadelphia,
Reproducing the Faces and Figures OF
Celebrities for Exhibition.

Celebrities ior Exhibition
Of all queer businesses carried on in
tins city that Of manufacturing wax
hgures takes the honors 1t has only
been started lately and but few people
know that il exists at ALL The first
room in the factory is where the mod
cling in clay is done Here is the
sculptor who makes the busts of no
ted men from photographs. He uses
the ordinary modelling clay common to
all sculptors and does not differ very
materially from them in his methods.
except that he rarely h as the good for
tune to have living model sit tor
him. He relies solely upon photo
graphs. and if he is making a bust of
Cleveland or Grant or any prominent
man he obtains all the photographs he
can. full face. three quarter and pro
file
After he has finished a bust and
caught a likeness he forthwith destroys
all semblance to the man he intends
to produce by removing whatever
beard or moustache he may have and
by taking all the hair of the head.
This leaves the bust as the original
would appear if he Was perfectly bald
and clean shaved. The effect is start
ling, particularly in the case of full
bearded men like Blaine or Roscoe
Conkling and Cleveland or General
Custer are hardly recognizable with
out their moustaches and nair. 1t is
necessary, however. to do this in order
that the efigy in wax may be made
The next process is that of taking a
plaster cast of the head after it is sui
ticiently dried, This is done by cover
ing the face with thick coating of
plaster Of Paris. waiting until it dries
and then removing it and proceeding
IN like manner with the rest of the
head, The plaster mould is next TAX
en- into the wax boiling room, where
it is treated inside with preparation
to keep the wax from sticking to it
Melted wax is then poured into the
mould. Before the wax mas quite
cooled the plaster is broken away from
it. leaving the head ready for the hair
workers and inishers. The hands O
the figure are made by coating rea
hand and wrist with plaster of Pari,
and cutting the mould off with piec.
of string before II has quite dried T,
prevent the plaster from puliing on
the little hairs on the back of the han(
and wrist they are carefully shaved
off But few Temple Theatre peopl
haveanv hair on tho backs Of thei
hands.
The process OF rutting iii the bail
is very tedious. Each hair is prickel
separately with q needle Yesterla,
one of the hair workers was lust be
ginning on Adelina PATHS head, i
was bald. except for a narrow fringe .
long hair Al the base of the neck. Tn
eyes had not been put in and the fac,
looked like anvthing but the counte
nance OF the lovely dive. Edxi1
Booths head was in ffrther state o
completion and, with the exception q
large bald spot over Tie left ear ha
its quota ot wavy ringiets. The hoiie
Of the IgEres are made II paper ma
!, che and are manufactured in this room
from plaster casts taken from Twin
models They are dressed IN the roor
by expert seamstresses and tailor:
The finishing touches To the leads ar
given 10y J. G. >arter, the o~iginato
of the Eden Musee IN New York III
!. >arter is a portrait painter am. has
= good eve for A likeness. lie puts i
!, the eyes and teeth anG Paints II
faces. E1Shen .hey pass OFT Of b
= hands they almost look - i. the
=. l.