The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-02-04
WAX PORTRAITS OF HEROES
BUSINESS FERRY RRI>k WIN THE
MEN WHO MikE THIN >
The Originals sometimes Pose for the Ar
fists. and IN Other Ease. Photographic
Are I sed- Production and Ultimate Fate
Of Figures of People Talked About.

Inc Oriktnnts SOimettnbes Pose Tor the Ar
tists. and In other Case. Photographic
Are I ed Production and I Inmate Fate
Of Figures Of People Talked About.
During the las, two yeacs the world has been
making history at n rate that puts the managers
81 the Eden Muse" upon their meltIe. Heroes
are being turned "u, fresh every hoIr and, a.
making u WAY hero requires at least two weeks,
Il Is easy To see that the wax works artists are UP
asainS,a hard proposition. They caugh, up with
the Spanish war long Ngo, and amy of tse heroes
Of Cuba or Manila may taste the sweets of fame
by strOlllng into the Musee and there seeing him
sell rs iargr aS hf. and rather better looking.
Incidentally It might be mentioned that the great
IN war are not above granting themselves this
little Indulgence The Muser Pm pluyees have
had n chance Ia rom pare most of the counterfeit
presentncnts with the living warriors, Al, least
oi'ce; and some Of the heroes were so pleased
by Their duplicates that they acquired the Musee
habit and call upon themselves whenever they
are in town. On the whole, II is easy 10 nee why
the visits shoulr be- satisfying. The artists have
dealt more kindly with the heroes than nature
and tine, AMI. though the figures look like the
originals, they look more like the public idea Of
ihoS. originals. Admiral Dewey hasn't been so
appreciative If the aruSt's efforts as some NJ his
fellow officers. 1t ls u ttife ungrateful Of him.
too; for they did uncommonly we'll by him. The
likeness is good. bu, there's n suggestion Of per.
snnial youth and beauty about the counterfeit
that the genuine artlclr lacks. II Mrs Dewey
had met the vaSen Dewey before she met the
flesh and blood hero, the Admiral would have
stood no show a, all
The WA Dewey sprang 10 life, II the figure
may be admitted, like Minerva, fully armed from
the BRAN Of The Muse- iove Manila demanded
him and hp nppanrpi utihnut d,Ia, L., f.1.
It is said that he holds the record for speedy in
c%arnatou The Admiral alwaSS shows an ability
I" ge, there ON time, or n ,riile ahead Of time. A.
he had II pressing engagement IN the Phil
ippireS he couldn't give sittings to the Musss
s~culplors, but they had his photograph and that
was enough. The scientists who. from a single
bon" of u fossil construct the whole animal "A re no,
n Circumstance 10 the Musee artists. Having
the Admira's photog raph. they set at work,
with absolute assurance of success. Relatives
and personal friends Of the hero were called into
consultation on the subjects of complexion, di-
mensi"nS, eyes, aud heir. They came early and
often and cruCiScd the work as II progressed.
When they we're satisfied the wax figure was a
th.ng Ia make glad the heart Of the hero Of Manila.
II must b" a cheering hing 10 know that 10 his
relatives he looks as the wax Admiral does.
Some Of The heroes gave The Musee greater up
porlunitIes ihan Dewey did They posed for
The figures zen Milts wasn't among tins num-
her, and ten " hreler was. The latter remarked.
wisely enough, that he reckunrd The Musee was
bound Ia have him, and II he had ,u he DUPLICATED
~ wax he would rather have the thing u likeness
han n caricature. iiobson f,ll the same wav
about II, though possibly from - her motives hut
they 40 say hat Fighting Boo Evans. when al
preached about The mater. used "laugwidge-
Asa penalty, he Is loSed in he corner, with moth
ing 10 amuse him save an extensive view of tho
backs OF his bro her officers The Nusee manage
ment insists thai great care has been exercised
IN giving 20 each hero a characteristic attitude.
and in pursuance Of his laudahle idea ilohson il
shown stopping forward from he group with out
stretched hand and shining eyes. lnlentlv hem
upon Anna Held. who smiles At him across Tho
hall. .Nnother yicilm 10 her charms stands behind
her William, Jennings Bryan, wIh hands
clrnched and thumbs turned in, Is 80 absorbed in
the little actress hat h" Ignores Mckinley. who
looks, sreCulatively, nj The Boy Orator from his
place among The crowned heads. and wonders
which Of them will 90 10 the Lumber room In Tho
near future.
That s,orare room al the Musee would w. nm in
,eresting study, for poets and philosophers Tho
history Of The last twenty five wears Is piled M.
there, and the men OF q day all have their dusty
inches, though he world has already forgotten
them. When n waNen hero OF hea uty or murderer
has ouiliyed its usefulness and The pihllc's interest,
II makes way for q newer celebrity. and begins ~
march toward oblivion in the melting poi Per.
ha ps 1t consoles a hero 10 inow that ha III no re-
inc8rnaled and possibly blossom ont as part Of a,
great tenor OF a wife beate 81 ana, after all the cast
from which he was shaped endur"s No cast ~
ever destroyed al the MuSee. and from the Collec-
ton, which now numbers thousands, duplicates
ofevery wax figure ever displayed in the museum
could be Obtained The wax Of he old figures is
melted and used again, and the PAPER mache
| parts Of he figure are destroyed. There is an intere-
mediary stage for the wayen heads after they are
separated from the bodies. and before they are
melted and II is an uncanny thing 10 draw aside
a dusty curtain IN one Of The studios and find
staring rows Of the t~runkless heads Of old friends.
They are a motley crowd, with nothing in COM
mon save lha, they have ceased to he interesting q
and the public is through talking about them and
their originals. just now Garcia. De Lessepa
and Gladstone ore in the front row.
Well melt them down soon, says the cheerful
artist, and The reporter meditates on the mu,s-
blity OF human affairs,
some tim" ago in order 10 make room FIR a group
Of persons talked about". Wagner, Beethoven
and List we're the only ones who escaped ihi.
ease among tne persons talked about" and wish
ing that they, too, had perished with their peers.
upsssirS S''"T Th he" sp srs"rS~ ,, AXE dp' sSosS we're e,0 for
The most part Ike IIobson, willing 10 give sittings
70 the Muse artists Ne, only did hoy give
figures were ready, Anna Held. Mrs Fiske. Mrs.
Carter and the rest furnished costumes which they
inlne PASSION, the orig mails turn up al the Nusee.
~ short intervals. and insist upon changing the
figures costumes II ysyes the souls Of the al,
PENDANTS and officials, but IL has 70 be done. Mrs
langtry sad Nr Croker qualified for the Musee
when the ,alk-d about" credentials were declared
NuInClFHl. Dhl nDF tl tnt fttpn0dntS pTOpneClpD
a short career iOr both. D.
They'll GO soon, and Bryan md Dreyfus
and ANNA Held will GO with them. We've got to
make room, and none of this push will hold out
long, except those musical guys The heroes
and The rulers, they're pretty steady; but nobody
talks about anybody more than n few days. We've
got q Julius Caesar group, and Marshall p. Wilder.
and SimOnid"s and Iris, and Sousa and Joub~rt
coming on Then there's all them British heroes
Kitchener and Roberts and Butler I can't sea
rs they've done much vet. but we've got Ia have
them ready, for fear they do break cut and shoot
a Boer or do something fierce. So you see We
must make room, and some 81 these literary and
artistic folks will have a short life" At The MUSES.
the sword ~ rnlghtier than the pen.
The making Of these wax figures Ia A more CONF
plicated and difficult matter than the casual visitor
20 the MuSee imagines. In the workrooms scores
Ot mon and women are kept constantly busy
Competent soul ptprS make the designs for ideal
groups and portrait figures. working from life
models ~ photographs. when the plaster casa
is finished II * passed on ~ the wax mpdellers.
Isually only the head. limbs and pprhap SONS
small portion Of the body are 81 wax and the casts
for thes" portions are separate The wax modellpr
takes white beeSwaX, imported from RusSia, and
dyed 70 the tint which will serve rs q has for ths
fie'h tint he wants The melted vax Is poured
int the casts, and when II IS Coulcd md ha rdanei
~ the thickness 81 two inches ON tic surface the
rest Of the wax Is poured out, leaving the hollow
wax east which II taken from the plaster cast aud
painted as carefully ~ one would PANT n portrait
m oils \ftnr that the glass eyes. prrpar rcd befrra.
hand. are insert Il from M. Idle the heRd and stuck
IN with melted wax Newt th" head is pissed ON
tr the oolifrur wh" has III" necessary heir ready