The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1888-11-17
HOW WAX FIGGERs" ARE MADE.
An Interesting Sight In q state Street
Building.

builutuks
A smiling young lady seated at e piano
in a large show window on State street
attracted crowds last week. She was
pretty enough TO catch the masculine
eye and sufficiently well dressed TO hold
the feminine critics. But, despite the
constant scrutiny OF the ever-changing
crowd, the young lady never altered her
position. The smile that parted her lips
did not change; her fingers, raised an
inch above the piano, never struck them
once all for the best OF reasons. She
wasn't real young lady-thongh she
looked IL, especially in the gaslight--
but only wax one. A young man
curious TO know something OF the method
Of her construction climbed up TO the
| top story of the Eden Musee in company
with tle superintendent, emerging into
a small room i'm the rear of the building.
Two or three men were at work, one
stirring "a steaming mixture in an iron
pot over an oil stove, another daubing
plaster over a mold. Headless corpses
were everywhere. They stood on plat
forms, underneath tables, and in cor
4
lection was piled up. The limbs of some
were contorted and bent as though in
awful agony. The active young super
intendent opened boxes and cupboards
and drew out heads OF men and women,
old and young, beautiful and ugly, some
without eyes or hair, others looking
startling real. From another set of
drawers he pulled dozens OF hands and
laid them beside the heads.
There" said he, ''are all the parts OF
an image which are made or wax. There
is no such thing as 'sSx figure. The
! flgures--the torsos-are made out OF
papier mache. A wax torso even when
IL is lined with an iron framework does
not give satisfactory effect. The pro-
cess of making the papier mache bodies
Is percisely that of the heads and hands"
"And what is thatg"
"a work that requires seven persons
TO complete. The drst step Is to make "a
miniature model in clay Of the figure or
group that is 10 DO represented. From
il we get some idea Of the effect. When
all details are decided upon the sculptor
models the figure liIesze in clay, the
same as would be done il IL were TO be
chiseled In marble or cast i'm bronze.
The hands are omitted. They are mod
eled from life always. Next the molder
prepares plaster paris cast in sections
from the model, and into this the wax
is poured by the wax-worker. If the
result does not satisfy the sculptor the
head is remelted. No attempt is ever
made TO change n head The mold is
simply broken up and new model
made The head goes next 10 a oman,
who inserts the hair, eyebrows, eye
lashes, and beard. A little instrument
with two or three sharp needle points is
used for this. She works rapidly, more
so than any of the Others. The sculp-
tor, after the glass eyes are put into the
socket, then takes the head and finishes
IL. It's color is pale pink, and he gives
il the hue OF the human face and by
various means makes its surface look
like skin. Meanwhile. the costumer has
been ut work dressing the torso and tho
carpenter fixing il upon n pedestal.
The head and hands are joined to it and
| IL il ready for exhibition"
Glow long does all this takeg'
at depends upon the sculptor entire
ly. Figures nowadays are mostly
portraits, and in modelling one, especial
~ of a contemporary individual, the
sculptor is likely 90 make half dozen
models before the correct one is hit.
The figure of Thurman, for instance, re-
quired great deal Of preliminary study.
The sculptor had 10 see him several
times, 10 observe most closely various
details, such Us the expression Of his
face in varying moods, the size OF his
head. color OF his eyes-can any mar
tell the color of his nearest friends
eyesg-the way his hair was arranged,
his weight, carriage, etc. Little do.
tails, such as the ear, occupy the artist
day sometimes. lie cannot be hur.
ried. Sometimes two weeksis required
10 model single figure. No, sculptors
rarely model direct from life, except ir
the case of the hands, although In.
stances are known OF their having done
so. They prefer photograph and rely
upon their memories for details In
making head. But they always mold
hands from life. No artist In the world
can exactly represent that wonderful
human member, with all its Thousand
lines, creases, and its expressions-for
the hands have expressions. Figures
cost as high as $500. The hair ON the
head OF the figure Of Mrs IAngtry cost
$40. Hair Is always an important anc
expensive item. SO Is the costume"