Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-21
A MUMMY FACTORY.
Imitation Of the Egyptian Article
Manufactured in California.

From the Literary Digest
Following the example of some OF its east
ern contemporaries who have gone extern
sively into the exposure business, the Pa
cifc Monthly lays bare the secrets of num-
my manufacture in southern California. In
the city of Los Angeles IT has found a man
who for nearly thirty years has successfully
followed the trade OF a mummy maker, fab
ricattng fakes for museums whose demands
were satisfied by superficial appearance and
did not go far as earthquakes OF origin
This artist. being about TO. go out of bust
ness, revealed his methods to the writer,
Mr.. Henry Simon. whose account We quote
as follows:
The whole factory outfit consists OF
great rough table and one or two smaller
ones, upon which several mummies are ly-
ing In different stages of development. You
will find one that is quite finished, another
only just begun, and few in an interme-
date state.
The first step taken In the manufacture
is the preparation OF q simple plank, the
'vertebral column which gives stay to
head, body. legs and ALL and to the end OF
which are nailed one or two short boards
representing the feet. Then a bag of sack
ing, corresponding in form to the shape OF
the body, is produced around the plank and
stuffed with excelsior. The ribs repro
duced by bamboo strips: the arms and fin
gers consist of several big and some small
sticks.
'All these things are attached to the out
side of the bag. The rough body thus pro-
duced is covered with thin coat of pias-
ter to the extent Of the chest and abdomen.
or wherever else any part of the body is In
tended to show. on top of TINS plaster a
coating of glue is put, and a fluffy tissue
pasted on which is again covered with glue.
The body at this stage is Of a yellowish
color, and IN touch and appearance resem-
bles almost exactly a fresh human carcas-
THE head is next placed in position and
covered with glue and tissue In the same
way the body. The eyeholes are painted
dark brown inside and covered with piece
two of the same material with a small
slit in the middle. which gives a marvellous
ly good representation OF the sznken. dried
out eyes of the real mummy. a few hairs
are pasted on top of the head, the teeth are
made out of small bits of horn, and the
head and neck, with the exception of the
face. are wrapped with several layers OF
thin, ragged cotton, held together by bands.
The whole body is treated likewise, leaving
such spots as is desirable to show the skin
and bones underneath. Then the form
which has partly been painted before the
outer covering was put on, is dyed once
more, together with all the rags and band
ages, and, when perfectly dry. presents the
exact appearance of the real old Egyptian
mummy. Finally. the body is strewn all
over with gray dust or powder, which partly
fills all the holes and, If there was the
slightest ground for skepticism left before.
removes that entirely.
THE writer of these lines has. In different
countries, seen hundreds of mummies: gen.
une and, as he Is now convinced since
short time, some not quite genuine ones.
But even on closest inspection he was not
able to discover anything in the artificial
product that was not exactly in accord
ance with all he ever observed IN the origf-
nal mummies The very shape of the head,
the expression OF the hollow eyes, the
shriveled lips, the bits of skin and bone ex-
posed; the general aspect and pose of the
limbs and body. wrappings and all. are
such as to exactly resemble the genuine
article and would, were the result of the
artisans labor exhibited in a museum. de-
cefve any but the eye Of ar expert-and his,
too unless he looked very close. Standing
In the very workshop, seeing them made.
and hearing the makers explanations II Is
hard to realize that those wierd figures
should be limitations.
And If the artist tells you that he has
been working IN his line OF business for
twenty-nfne years; that he has learned his
trade In a regular factory long ago, and
that he Is able TO turn out several mummies
a day, then, gentle reader, you Will per-
haps agree with me that even your keen
eye and unbelievable instinct may have
been deceived. and that very likely 1t Will
have been deceived. IL you will but stop TO
roughly calculate what this one man alone
has done in his line