Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-11-08
ART m wAxWuRk
Figures, Made Nowadays, That
Are Really True to Life.
4 SCULPTOR AND HIS MODEL.

Whom ths Artist Cannot Get . sitting
From hh Subject hs Works From .
Photograph Or Osseriptien-Ths
Way the Efisiss Are Made.
4 Dickens described Mrs. Jarley's II.
mons wal works rs being divers
eprightIy etiisies Of celebrated charac.
ters that stood more or less ~uusteadily
upou their legs. with their eyes very
Wide open aud their nostrtla' very
much Inflated and all staring with ex.
traordinary earnestness at nothing"
But Mrs. farley was sure they were
~ like life that II waxworks only
spoke and moved about you'd hardly
know the difference"
u won't so 10 far "a to say" ven.
tured that cstimable showwoman.
that I've seen waxworks quite Ike
life, but I've certainly seen some life
that was exactly like waxworks."
II Mrs. farley we're with rs today
she could lind plenty Of wax figures
that are altogether quite like iife." for
the art of counterfeitng humanity has
made great advances since the days OF
Mrs. farley.
Today waxworks are used for a Va.
riety Of purposes. The United States
army, navy and medical departments
make extensive 8 Of them. Wax
figures form part Of tho outfit OF
many recruiting stations. The quarter
masters department uses them to
show army costumes. The hospital
service employs them to depict surgt'
cal operations. Museums use wax ds'
ures. Shopkeepers use them for dis
playing garments. Various waxworks
exhibitions are still popular. And In
every exposition nowadays hundreds
OF wax figures are used to portray life
in distant times aud climes.
Like any other commodity. wax ig-
ures AN be had ''ready made or con-
structed ITO order" The ready made
kind are used principally in shop win
dows. The wax heads. arms and hands
Of these-the bodies are made OF PAPER
mache-are cast IN stock molds, just
an ready made coats are cut after stock
patterns. They sell BY the dozen q
cost only SO or 81 apiece.
The made to order wax figure ID cast
in a specially made mold. accurately
fashioned after the given model ana
~ carefully finished as q piece OF stat
uary, which indeed it ID. The very
lowest cost for such q wax figure Is
SIS, and from that sum the price runs
a. high as 500. It all depends upon
the amount Of time and labor expend'
ed by the artist.
The sculptor IN wax begins a new
figure BY making a sketch OF bis sub
feet. When he cannot get . sitting
from his subject he makes use of q
photograph or a written description.
skillfui photographers can give de-
scriptions Of people they have photo
eraphed that are amazing for accuracy
Of detail. From this sketch a clay
model IL made. When this has hard
ened it is covered with plaster to form
Z mold. Embedded In the plaster are
strings, which. being pulled out just
before the plaster IS fully dry. cut the
hardening mold in half, 50 that when
6rm It can be- liftedeo6 In sections.
Into this mold is poured In due time
the wax, which 1t takes half a day to
prepare. This wax must be melted
and worked over and colored to match
the complexion Of the subject. Finally
It 10 poured into the mold and allowed
to harden.
Yhe cast In first trimmed up" al
r0ughness and irregularities being
smoothed off. Then the eyes are In
serted. These are glass eyes that
match exactly the shade OF the sub
1ect's eyes.
Lastly the hair Is put on. Strangely
enough, this Is a most difficult opera
ton. for the bair Of a wax image IS
not. as one might think. merely atw1g
'"'u o", - .,s.a... nat- ~,
n'''''tS e"".': ~ $500. y q !,
~ ''uS' "t ,'""e ~ ~ .oa,no ma
n''S' Seel' !" '''n- 49,, 49,
si"w,a. '"'''"9 "'-'es 10 ..sa.
GOES. >" u .n's'o 49," - ..,.,,
tne se"'P w ""n
q ""''',''s ~ $3.50 l.