The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-06
WAX FIGURE MAKING
THE SLOW CREATION OF HAIR, EYES,
WRINKLES AND PORES.


rectIy or to Provide 1t with Ciothes-An
Interesting Process.
Nearly every one has at some time seen
. collection of good wax works; perhaps at
the Eden Musee in New York or at Mme
Tussapd's in London orthe Musee Grevin
in Paris. Yet TO how many has it occurred
that the making of these figures requires
a very large amount of time, labor, and
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 a group has been decided
upon and the general arrangement elab-
Grated, perhaps with the aid of some pencil
sketches. Then the first step is to model
the figures in clay, which is very necessary
in order that the presence Of the body may
be felt under the clothes, which otherwise
as in poor wax works-wrinkle and flap
around the body in most unnatural way.
The first class museum keeps a regular
sculptor, usually very clever artist, who
works on salary and is kept busy enough
in a large and well appointed studio When
he has finished his tigure-Abraham Lin
coin in this case-in clay, a plaster mold
IS made Then it is ready to be reproduced
in wax-that is, the head and hands, but
not the body.
Right here we learn a 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 COW
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 a
thickness of about quarter of an inch.
This layer is then pressed down. by u thin
coating of plaster, and when the carton
thus formed is dry and ready to be taken
out it is as hard as stone. If Indians, At
ricans or other savages are to appear in p
group their lightly clad bodies are cast in
plaster painted over with the colorOf their
dusky skins.
But to return to wax work proper. Pres
ident Lincoln's body, we see, is being re-
produced in carton as 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 cirier, as he is called, for the
French produce the cleverest work in this
line. Here it is filled 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, is
poured off so that the wax head is hollow
when it is taken out Of the mold.
1t would be difficult at this stage to dis
cover much resemblance to President Lin
coin, for the head-hairless, eyeless and
colorless-looks exceedingly ghastly. It
is now that the cirier mnst show his skill,
and put the appearance Of life into this
corpselike face. His tools are of the sim
plest--a spatula and some blunted needles
set in small pieces of wood or Matches
but with these he works wonders. Hair
and beard, eyelaShes and eyebrows are first
put on, most laborious task Eprin care
fully and well made head each individual
hair is pushed into the wax with the
needle.
After this hole is punched through
each eye and ball, set on the end of a
curved rod so that it will pass into the
head from below, is heated and pressed
against the eye from the inside. This pro-
duces hollow into which glass eyes are
set. Finally the heated spatula is used to
trace wrinkles and crows feet, produce
pimples, and the cracks in the lips, and to
form teeth and tongue if the mouth ap-
pears half open. The pores in the skin are
produced by drawing lines on the face
across each other by means Of q number of
blunt needles set in a wooden handle The
Shaven portions of the face are well indi-
:ated by dots of color pushed in with the
leedle, while for Il 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 a wax figure, and that
the work increases in proportion as more
care and artistic skill is employed. Furth-
ermorc, when large group is to be made
like that Of Columbus before Ferdinand
and Isabella at the Eden Musee-the com
position that 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 re.
peated in clay sketch, that is, small
bas-relief in clay. This, though rough in
execution, "blocked out" as the sculptor
says, nevertheless gives the artist 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 there is
still enough to be DONE The figures must
be dressed, furniture and other accessories
must be selected and placed with care, the
background prepared the matter of effect
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 a few
difficulties, even in figures of modern peo
pie. Fashions change rapidly, and TO be-
correct Lincoln must be dressed in the
particular style of loose coat and baggy
trousers which was worn while he was
president, nor would it do to put the Vir.
ginia militiamen who are guardingJohn
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 time, are usually made in Eu
rope and imported. And even then errors
will creep in. For that group of the Em
peror William II of Germany, his wife the
empress, and the little crown prince the
uniforms wer' made by the emperors owl
tailor-the hoischneider, And then there
are all those paraphernalia--belts, sashes
epaulets, ornaments, decorations, medals
and all sorts of trappings-which are alsC
generally bought abroad, so as to make
sure that they are correct.-New YorL
Sun.
Hard to Understand.
Little Boy-,I shu'd think these thou
san leg" bugs would starve or somethin
Little Girl-Whyg
They've got to hunt for things to eat
same as other bugs, haven't theyW
"Of course"
"Well, don't see how they can keep all
those legs goin an think of anything else. u