Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-10-22
CHEAP ~STATUETTES.
HOW THEY ARE MADE, HARDENED,
FINISHED AND COLORED,

4taltanHr EH&m Tuscany Excel the
World In Their Production-The
Demand For These Casts That
Comes From Our Schools.
While it is not difficult to secure good
American 'workmen for carrying out
schemes of interior decorations, it is
impossible yet to get native born men
capable of modelling statuettes and
busts such as are sold on the street
n and in many of the art shops.
All the workmen employed in factories
that produce these are Italians, chiefly
from Tuscany. This is equally true of
those who follow this trade in Ger
many and France. The Tuscans ap-
pear to have a natural ability for that
sort of work that has given them the
monopoly Of it.
The great majority Of these busts and
s%tatuettes are copied directly from the
originals wherever they happen to be,
and then the molds are made from that
copy and sent to all parts of the world,
the statues being cast in the place
where they are to be sold. In the lar
ger shops in New York city, however,
a certain amount of original work is
done in order to keep pace with the
popular demand for representations of
the hero of the hour. A great many Of
our most distinguished poets, authors
and statesmen whose busts are exposed
for sale on the street corners never sat
for these portraits. Some workman
modelled the head after a photograph
and occasionally has produced such
good work that it is almost a pity the
sculptor's name should remain I'M
known.
The chief purchasers Of these casts
from the larger makers are the high
schools all over the country. They de-
mand, Of course, not only classical sub
jects and copies of ancient bas-reliefs
and architectural details, but also busts
of famous men and women from every
period Of the worlds history. Such a
wide range of subjects is covered by
this demand that seven and eight thou
sand titles are included in some Of the
catalogues issued. The factories where
these figures are turned out exhibit in
their showrooms an assortment and
confusion of time, place and nature be-
wildering to look at.
The process Of casting these statu-
cites Is a comparatively simple one
when the mold is once completed. The
material used, plaster of paris, is
cheap, and a verX excellent quality is
produced In this country. When the
%statuette' comes out, it is pure white
and covered with ridges made by the
different sections of the mold. These
ridges are carefully removed, and then
the cast is placed in an oven heated at
about $50 degrees. After it has been
baked for a. certin length of time it is
plunged into a solution of stearic acid
and kept there until thoroughly satu-
rated. Then, when 1t has dried, the
: yellow color is gained by applying to
the surface a solution of beeswax, tur-
81 pentine and coloring matter. This color
will not wash off, and, of course, any
shade "a be produced at will. s Y
t1The demand for nude statues in the
art schools is growing less every year,
said one of the largest makers of these
casts. sThat IS because people are
realizing more and more that artists
must draw from the human figure it.
SELF II they wish to understand the
human form We get more orders now
for draped figures in the art schools
and for busts inthe high schools. I'm
til very recently he bnsts of most OF
the celebrated Americans which we
sell had been made In Italy from pho
togrsphs sent over from this country.
md many nnistsakes occurred III mat
ters of detail like the cut OF the coats
and.eollars. We are trying to do these