The times., 1901-05-12
MODELLING WAX FIGURES
The Artistic Side of a Growing
Business in New York.
A sculptor Employed With Artists
Models 20 Pose for Hfm-Hovr PIas-
ter Casts Are Removed "A Task
Requiring Great Deal of Care.

Requiring "A Great Deal of Care.
The business of making wax figures has
in the last few years grown 20 considera-
BILE proportions one Of several manu-
featuring places is in a downtown side
/ street.
Are wax figures modelled from ufe2'
was asked
Good ones are But there is custom
work and shoddy work Ia this line. as in
/ every other. A reputable concern has a
regular sculptor and artists models to
/ pose for him. We are at work now on
womans figure upstairs. You may see
/ how it's done If you'H go up"
| On a revolving platform a heavy wire
frame was standing. and two assistants
bent it according TO the outlines of the
models form. Then they began 20 III il
in solidIy with wet clay. which the artist
nodded as nearly like her body as was
possible, from eve and caliper measure
meuts.
This clay model is taken only up to the
bust line, you understand. the proprietor
said. There is a different process gone
through for obtaining a cast OF the arms.
when they are to be of wax; and the head
is always obtained from photograph.
Now when this clay figure has been
nodded to suit the sculptor in every de-
tail, 1t is set aside to harden. Then the
boys pour a coat Of plaster Of paris
over it several inches thick II sets
quickly, and retains every line and curve
of the clay FORM This plaster east
must be removed and serve as the shell.
inside of which the papier mache figure
is made. or course. it is impossible 20
break it off as a perfect she'll It
comes off in fragments and has to be
pieced together again, and tied up until
it hardens. We usually make the cast
in four parts from the bust to the feet.
for it is easier to line it in that shape
with the papier mache. Come down stairs
and see how the lining is done"
Half score of men were at work in the
papier mache department. and figures in
every stage of construction We're scat
tered about the room The men were
tearing off strips of papier maChe and
pressing them inside the Quartered plas-
ter casts. when these are all lined they
VIII stand for a day and a half in the
drying room,' said the proprietor. BY
that time the papier maChe win be un-
breakable. and the plaster casts viii be
taken of. The figures are ready then TO
be tasted together over light steel skel-
eton. and have on their jersey underwear.
If they are for the best trade their feet
Will be Of papier m2che, and they viii
wear regular stockings ana shoes. Cheap
ef hgureS nave weighted iron feet But
they are still headleSs and aFmless. YOU
see Now here is the figure Of a man. His
arms viii never be barred. and he VIII al
ways wear gloves. over there is q pile OF
jointed wooden arms ana hands II he
has jOinted fingers he can hold his own
umbrella or walking stick. Therefore he
snail have them. But the women and
children have useless wax hands. Notice
these bodies over the papieT mache IS
q thick padding of cuTled hair. 50 their
figures have the plumpness necessary;
and now look. They are adjustable at
every joint, and bend at the waist and
neck. You can make Jhem assume any
position you please, and he put papier
mache figure through ali sorts Of aero
oatic feats. These holes in the body and
limbs are for locking them in position.
Now for the face and arms. Figures Tor
he display of evening gowns and Of cor
sets demand wax busts and arms OF
course the only way 10 get figure eX-
1cLiy IS to take a direct cast from Inc
body Sat the sensation OF etlns en-
closed in a plaster OF paris cast is not
pleasant. and il hurts to have il removed,
so We can seldom find a model who VIII
submit to it. The hands are always from
lirect casts, however, and the rest Of the
JCdy mas 10 be apprOximated in clay
In an adjoining small room where direct
,asts We're being made modeier was
tubing cottclene into a girl $ ndnds ana
wrists. He placed her fingers in position
md supported her arm
BE careful not to move now when [
]Gur the plaster over your hands or you u
Ose the pose entirely, he said layer
If plaster was dipped on with large Ia
lie and a piece of string was laid around
he tips of the girls fingers. and on her
wrist That string" said the mOdeler is
% be pulled out before the plaster hardens
md cut the cast il two. More plaster or
,aris was poured over her hand, and the
nan watched it closely The girl wris-
sled.
''It burns" she said. That's the lime
ana salt and it'lI have to burn more be-
ore / take il off. Now We II pull out the
string. The string came out easily and
Tut the shell in TWO parts, but the cast
showed no sign of loosening on her hand
The assistant brought Il chiSet ana tney
clipped the plaster off down to the skin
xeeping the pieces. 1t hurt sometimes
The girls fingers caught in the plaster
and they had to twist themselves free
At last the cast was all of and the mod
sler set the pieces together and tied them
I'm half an hour it viii be ready for
the wax" ne said. The wax was melting
IN two large kettles over a gas blaze. and
when the cast of the girls hand was hard
hey poured the hot wax inside Of it. In
L few moments it had frozen a quarter
IF an inch thick and the surplus was
poured out of the shell. They broke the
plaster of paris off the wax hand and
hrew il aside.
I've have no further use for that" the
assistant said The hnisher viii work
,ut AL the imperfections in the wax hand
low and take a cast of it. This viii be
he final model for the hand
How do you get the cast for the head
# a wax figure2 was asked
From a photograph first. Then it is
modelled in clay. A plaster cast is taken
rom the clay and the wax is poured into
he plaster shell. Just as il was for the
and. The whole art in making wax
aces lies in the finishing Whenever it is
ossible we copy the lines of expression
rom the face of the original. whose pho
0sraph we are using We are more par
icular in details such as these than the
European manufacturers, and that is why
ur wax figures are better than theirs
he glass eyes that are used are of the
est quality and are set very carefully.
nOugh occasionally CrosS-eyed woman
returned TO the factory for an opera
"Do you use human hafr?' was the next
uestion
he heads of the rustic maidens OF Spain
nd Austria. They ire shOrn of their
,cks at the hair markets there, and we
ny them from dealers on this side At
table in the rear Of the room the hair
lserters were at work The hair is set
eeply in the wax heads. The girls who
o this work need steady nerves. They
old a tuft Of hair in one hand and catch
ach individual hair in the slit eye OF
eedIe This is inserted in the head and
le wax IS pressed back into the pores
"A good figure viii last about ten
ears" the proprietor went on, though
! that time it may be returned for re-
airs The complexion needs frequent
rushing up. ana sometimes new hair is
,serted in the head Every reason. too.
omen carrytheir bodies with a new pose
nd we make over the wax ladies to con-
,rn TO the style Our work is far supe-
or to the European, and the demand
lr their wax figures is almost al an end
this country We keep abreast of the
mes and they do not. our figures can
o everything but talk. Notice our new
ak women in the stores in the shopping
strict. Aren't they right in the mode?
hey are all ready 10 swing into the mill
Irv walk The imported figures are dis
aesc.fr r7.rlg AfaFr.