New-York tribune., 1921-05-15

could block the traffic without half irwin, -.
her in bathing suit or deeollet6 ana .s'.. -
bring the reserves out to keen bacL !, :
crowds. And in a ball gown she had -. 'As :,
bowin' down respectful al !
"Startin' out in small way here j. -
big town, perhaps in half q dozen :. su'
Kitty's counterpart gradually got neror.ss
latin round the country until there,s -
few hick towns that haven't seen. ho~
now. Down in Ell Paso, Texas, she's ;us. "
much at home as right over On Broaa.-.1 =
Wherever she goes, people reeo0nivo :, Y
got class and they give her credit oanara..l
She wears as high as 10000 different dresso.
year and her average in hats is auav I.
ypnd that.
II tell Kitty herself it's fame havn, fon.
all over the Yiddish- speaking world kno,.s,
her like that. But Kitty can't see Il. u .aa.
to go on the SCREEN she says, what's M
fgures?"
"Why doesn't she go on the screen, them.
| asked.
"Shp' said Joe, putting his fingers to Il.
lips. That's the trouble. That's whv
don't want you givin' no publicity to K;ttr
If she thought she had half chance she'd /.
on the screen in minute, and where Womb
! get off? She would be comm round read,
to pose for me for 500 day instead of be;n,
tickled to pieces to get her four lucks ana
lunch. No, sir, keep curtain around Kitty
when the movie men show up.
My trade depends on Kitty more than Ii.
thinks. All the models I've been doing for
the last five years come back occasionally n
get new ear or new eye or new soms
thing or other. They're supposed to last
lifetime if they get proper treatment, but
trades people is rough on figures, especially
out West. It's kind of essential to have
Kitty on hand to make adjustments accord
ing to the real article. So don't mention ho,
by name, will you?"
"No, won't" promised again, and III.
"Kitty Collins" incognito came to me cut a,
clear sky.
Then there is Culver's place on East Eighth
Street, much more of an establishment with
a big crew of workers and plenty of wax in
plain sight, arms, legs and unfinished heads
strewn about without much regard for the
sanctity o. the human soul. In the absence
of his superior officer the foreman Of the
shop explained few Of the intimate detail,
of the business.
Sure, we model from life," he said
Course we can't take the time that regular
sculptors use up, but art can't be hurried and
we pride ourselves on putting certain amount
Of art into each product. We model in clay.
then make mold and pour in the wax. II
is the finishing process that is complicated
each piece has to be remodeled after it is
cast. Then come the hair, the eyes, teeth and
complexion. Painting on the complexion il
all art in itself. -. But you had better
go on uptown to the showrooms and see the
finished figures"
But how about expressions?" | asked.
where do you get your inspiration for those?"
"Oh, that comes from the trade. We make
some dignifed, some speedy, depending on the
demand"
The foreman left me to put in a rush order
over the phone for two dozen ladies' upper arm
fixtures.
The uptown showroom was anything but
a disappointment. It was more of palace
than one expects to find in the commercial
district. The genial majordomo took me in
charge and led me back to series of sken
uuIlS paTlOTS WUere LnS laQleS OF 1aSnlOn anu
the gentlemen Of leisure fingered elegantly
in cheenful settings.
aren't they grand?" commented the major
domo.
'They are that" ventured
Michael Angelo had nothing on our scup-
tors. All he did was make them in clay. Look
what we do-paint EN-, dress 'em and make
EN- live
What are some of their names?"
'Oh, we don't name them. We sell em"
There you are--there was no romance In
that end Of the business.
And that concluded my tour of the waxwork
kingdom. | might go on and cite some really
important statistics about the birth rate among
wax figures, about their standards of living,
their politics and their morals. But why pose
as an expert on a subject in which | have
taken only preliminary course?
Still, | shall never pass Belinda La Mar
quise, on Fifth Avenue or on the streets Of
Cairo, without remembering many things.
II