Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-12-31
MAKING WAX FIGURES.
Through tfas Boiling Pot, the Mold and
 the Eye and Hair Artists.

MANiTN0 WAA Et1OrtC0s
 Through tfAa Boiling Pot, the Mold and
 the Eye and Hair Artists.
 A smiling young lady seated at a piano in a large show window on State street at- tracted crowds last week. She was pretty enough to catch the masculine eye and sufh- ciently well dressed to hold the feminine critics. But, despite the constant scrutiny of the ever changing crowd. the young lady never changed 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-though she looked it, especially in the gaslight-but only wax one. A young man curious to know some thing of the method of her construction climbed up to the top story of the Eden Musee in company with the superintendent, emerg- ing into small room in 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 mold. Headless corpses were every where. They stood on platforms, under meath tables and in corners. In a small ante room a whole collection was piled up. The limbs of some were contofted and bent as though in awful agony. The active young superintendent 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 startlingly real From another set of drawers he pulled dozens of hands and laid them beside the heads. ''There," said he, fare all the parts of an image which are made out of wax. There is no such thing as a wax figure. The figures the torsos-are made out of papier Inache. A wax torso even when it is lined with an iron framework, does not give 8 satisfactory Afpa Nha 0R %ho mache bodies is precisely that of the heads | and hands"
 And what is thatG"
 "A work that requires seven persons to | complete. The first step is to make a minia- ture model in clay of the figure or group that | is to be represented. From it we get some idea of the effect. When all details are de cided upon the sculptor models the figure | life size in clay the same as would be done if it were to be chiseled in marble or cast in bronze. The hands are omitted. They are modelled from life always. Next the molder 1 prepares plaster paris cast in sections from the model, and into this the wax is poured by l the waxworker. If the result does not sat- | isfy the sculptor the head is remelted. No attempt is ever made to change head. The mold is simply broken up and a new model made. The head goes next to woman, who | inserts the hair, eyebrows, eyelashes,- 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 oth- CTS. The sculptor, after the glass eyes are put into the socket, then takes the head and finishes it. Its color Is pale pink, and he gives it the hue of the human face, and by | various means makes its surface look like skin. Meanwhile the coStumer has been at | work dressing the torso and the carpenter | fixing 1t upon g. pedestal. The head and hands are joined to it and 1t is ready for ex- hibition."
 'How long does all this takein
 "It depends upon the sculptor entirely. | Figures nowadays are mostly portraits, and in modelling one especially of contemporary individual, the scul ptor Is likely to make half dozen models before the correct one is hit. The figure of Thurman. for instance, re- quired a great deal of preliminary study. The sculptor had to see him several times, to observe most closely various details, such as the expression of his face in varying moods the size of his head, color of his eyes-can any man tell the color of his nearest friends eyes the way his hair was arranged, his weight carriage, etc. Little details, such as the ear occupy the artist day sometimes. He can not be hurried. Sometimes two weeks is re quired to model single figure. No, sculp tors rarely model direct from life, except 1T the case of the hands, although instances arc known of their having done so. They prefer photograph and rely upon their memories for details in making head. But they al ways mold hands from life. No artist in the world can exactly represent that wonderful human member, with all it's thousand lines creases and it's expressions-for the hand: have expressions Figures cost as high a: $500. The hair on the head of the figure ot Mrs. Lsngtry cost $75. Hair is always ar important and expensive item. So is the costume. Chicago Tribune