Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-05-06
WAX FIGURE MAKING
THE SLOW CREATION OF HAIR, EYES
WRINKLES AND PORES.

Skill to Color aud Pose n Dummy Cor
rectly or To Provide IL with CIothes-Ap
| Interesting Process.
Nearly every one has at some time seen
| q collection of good wax works; perhaps at
| Fhe Eden MusPe In New York or at Nine
Tussaud's in London or the Musee Greviu
hl Paris. Yet To how many has IL occurred
that the making of these figures requires
very large amount Of time, labor aud
artistic skill' The process OF making WAX
figures is much more complicated than
one would at first sight imagine. Take
for instance, the group OF Lincoln liberat
ing the negroes
suppose such group has been decided
upon and the general arrangement elab
Grated, perhaps with the aid Of some pencil
sketches Then the first step In to model
the figures in clay which il very necessary
in order that the presence Of the BODY may
be felt under the clothes, which otherwise
AS in poor wax works7-wrinkle and fap
around the body In most unnatural way
The first class museum keeps a regular
sculptor, usually "A very clever artist who
works ON a salary and is kept busy enough
In large and well appointed studio When
he has finished his characterization Lin
coin in this case--in clay, a plaster mold
1
in wax-that is, the head and hands, but
not the bo,ly.
Right here we learn curious fact
Very little OF the wax figure" Is really
made of WAX. The exposed portions OF the
body, head and hands are, but those GOV.
cred by clothes are not. The latter are
made Of carton pierre, which consists OF
strips OF paper and linen pressed alternate
ly into the plaster mold. the inner side of
the latter being lined In this manner TO q
thickness Of about IA quarter OF an inch
This layer Is then pressed down by thin
coating OF plaster. and when the carton
thus formed Is dry and ready TO be taken
out II is as hard as stone. II Indians, Al
ricans or other savages are TO appear In q
group their lightly clad bodies are cast In
plaster. painted over with the color of their
dusky skins.
| But TO return to wiN work proper. Pres
ident Lincoln's body we see, Is being 70
produced in carton a. rapidly as the lively
plump Frenchwoman to whom the work
Is intrusted can get the paper and linen
into the mold. The mold of the head
meanwhile goes TO the room Of the wax
worker or cirlcr, AZ he IL called, for the
French produce the cleverest work In this
line Here IL il filed with hot wax and
when the wax nearest the outside has
cooled and hardened. clinging To the inner
side of the mold, the rest still warm, Ia
poured off, 30 that the wax head is hollow
when 1t is taken out Of the mold.
IL would he difiicult at this stage to dis
cover much resemblance to President Lin
coin, for the head--hairless eyeless and
colorless-looks exceedingly ghastly. Il
is now that the cirier must show his skill
and put the appearance Of life into thia
| flxfa Il ,.ft 81 u.
plest-a spatula and some bunte,i needles
set In small pieces of wood or matches
but with these he works wonders. HAN
and beard, eyelashes and eyebrows are firsi
put on, most laborious task, for in a care
fully and well made head each individual
hair IN pushed into the wax with tho
needle.
After this hole is punched through
each eve and n BALL set on the end of a
curved rod 81 that it will pass into thu
head from below, Is heated and pressed
against the eye from the inside. This pro
duces hollow into which glass eyes arr
set. Finally the heated spntula is used 10
trace wrinkles and crows feet, produces
pimples, and the cracks in the lips, and 70
form teeth aud tongue III the mouth ap
pears half open, The pores in the skin arr
produced by drawing lines on the face
across each other by means OF a number OF
blunt needles set in n wooden handle. The
shaven portions of the face are well indi
Gated by dots Of color pushed in with the
needle, while for "A bristly beard OF recent
growth short hairs are used. Lastly the
lips are covered with colored wax. teeth
tongue and finger nails being indicated in
the same way.
So we see that there is work enough In
the mere making of wax figure, and that
the work increases In proportion as mors
care and artistic skill Is employed. Furth
ermorc. when "A large group is to be made
like that of Columbus before Ferdinand
and Isabella at the Eden Musee-the com
position Chat is the relative position OF the
various fgures) has To be carefully con
sidered. For this purpose pencil sketches
are first made, and these are usually 70
i peated in clay sketch, that is, n small
has relief in clay. This, though rough IN
| execution, blocked out" as the sculptor
says, nevertheless gives the artist a good
idea of the arrangement and general effect
Of the group. Only then. after careful con
sideration. is the modelling Of the figures
begun.
When the figures are finished thens h
still enough TO DE done. The figures must |
be dressed, furniture and other accessories
must be selected and placed with care, the
/ pftpAFttAs the ulhtNtf OF erect
i've lighting carefully considered, and with
all this the arrangement and color effect
OF the whole must be always kept In view
The matter Of clothes presents not few
difficulties, even Ia figures Of modern peo
| pie. Fashions change rapidly, and 70 be
correct Lincoln must be dressed in the
particular style Of loose coat and baggy |
trousers which was worn while he wa
president. nor would IL do to put the Vir. /
ginia militiamen who are guarding John 4
Brown on his way TO execution into the
uniform Of United States regular OF TO
day. But such costumes are not always
easy to get, and foreign uniforms even Of
the present lime, are usually made In Eu-
| rope and imported. And even then errors
will creep in. For that group OF the EN-
peror William III OF Germany, his wife the
empress, and the little crown prince, the
uniforms were made by the emperor's own
tailor-the hofschneider. And then there
are all those paraphernalia-belts.s sashes, /
epaulets, ornaments. decorations, medals /
and all sorts OF trappings-whicha are alss \
generally bought abroad, so rs to make I
sure that they are correct.-New York
Sun.
How 'sThe Lost Chord Was Composed.
Under very remarkable circumstances
WAS saTha Lost Ehordn connoSad nv that