Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-05
MASKS OF ALL NATIONS.
The Paper Ones Are Made In Germasy
-Japanese and Eskimo Mnsks.

A comic mask four feet high hangs on The
wall of a downtown costumer's shop. II N
a gigantic face of a funny looking man,
with great warts on his nose and his mouth
and eye on one side screwed up absurdly.
His agonized expression is accounted for by
a mosquito twelve inches long. which Is
fastened upon his check. The insects
gallinfppers which carry bricks under their
wings TO sharpen their beaks with-has O
wooden body. wings OF wire gsuze and legs
OF iron wire.
such masks as that are for ball room
decoration said the costumer to a Ster
reporter.' This one was made in New York
1t is of paper. To make IL is very simple.
To begin with the face is modelled In clay.
Then an ordinary plaster mold Is taken
from II. Win The mold You can produce as
you choose First You take sheet OF paper.
wet IL, and lay IL over the inside OF the
mold pressing IL with the fingers into every
Part. Next you put a coat OF mucilage all
over the paper. Having done SO. you take an
other sheet of paper and perform the same
operation with it. When you have done this
NTH dozen sheets OF paper and coats Of
mucilage you let them dry. Finally, You
separate the paper from the mold. and yeu
have the mask. All that IL requires is TO be
painted.
IAN of the ordinary pasteboard masks are
made i'm precisely the same way. But they
are manufactured in Germany and imported
into this country. because labor is cheaper
over there. After they are painted a gloss
is put on them. by varnish usually, but TIE
best ones receive a wax finish. The cur
tain masks, such as are used at fancy balls,
are turned out I'm New York. Philadelphia
and elsewhere In the United States. Most
of them are OF cotton. but the more costly
ones are OF silk and satin. Pasteboafd
noses. with or without spectacles and mus
taches attached. come from abroad. Ordi-
narily the hair is simply painted on the
masks of pasteboard, though sometimes
wool OF different colors is fixed upon them
with mucilage. Here. you see, is such
mask with bright green hair. IL is not e.
pected that masks shall be very true 20
nature.
by looking over my collection you win
observe that the German ma SKIS represent
all the races Of mankind. Here are tire
negro. the Indian and the Chinaman. This
face with the long whiskers is palpably an
English lord. ana you viii notice that tie
typical Yankee is not left out. Besides,
there are animal masks. representing all
sorts of beasts and birGs-the pig. the fox.
the jac<ass. the elephant, the monkey. tie
frog the eagle the goose, ana forth.
Here is the devil himself. He is very pop
ular SO is the human skull. which is quite
realistic.
man skulls for the use OF secret societies IN
their initiation ceremonies. Their Jaws are
made 70 snap by means OF rubber bands.
Here are imita ton moustaches by the gross
a nd boards also. They are all made OF hn-
man hair. Yet the moustaches cost only
one cent apiece or course. the poorest
poses II is the waste that Is good for moth
ing else. and II sells for 10 cents a pound
a better grade is required for boards Al
the same time. a moUstache OF the finest
quality costs s.. Children buy a great many
AT n penny apiece.
Here is Japanese mask made out %
wood. You will notice that there is q hoi-
low behind for the nose of the wearer 20 ~
into. The latter holds the mask on by bit-
ing into a wooden plug which f. left pro
jecting for that purpose. Over at the Ma
tional Museum you can see n great many
Eskimo masks. made OF pieces OF drfftwood
Some of them are worn at the Ceremonies
Of those people. while others are put Over
the faces Of the dead when they are bur
led"