The Washington times., 1921-04-03
The friese Of
heroic statues
around the New
York Custom
House. made by
the noted
sculptor
Daniel French.
For all the
feminine
figures in this
group
Miss Munson
was the model.
Each group
represents
q nation.
applied to the
arms, as the girl
would be unable to-
keep her arms out
if she were COM
PEELED to hold up


the weight of the mould When it comes to covering the
fingers the work very delicate as an artist having
shaped his models fingers into the position he requires
wants them reproduced in that pose and yet the first
coating Of plaster must be slapped each finger and
then the outer coatings the plaster body applied
around the whole hand without interfering with the
slightest crook Of finger. 81
The most unpleasant experience Of the model comes
when the casters enclose her face and head silver
tube put between her lips that she may breath through
It, and cotton is stuffed into her She close her
eyes and have extra coating of the oil and grease
their delicate lids Then quickly she might well be
startled great hanfus of the soft plaster pressed
against her face against the back of her neck
one workman stands a table beside her and pours
plaster from bucket over the top of her head.
moment later the illusion of the snow man is com.
pete There stands in the centre of the workroom just
mound OF plaster two three feet thick from the
floor up to foot higher than the top Of the imprisoned
models head The mass sways bit as the model at
tempts to relax in her ease and workman throws his
around the fast solidfying to keep it from
topping over, model and all.
Inside, the girl cannot move much the tiniest
fraction Of an inch She is virtually part Of the plaster
itself 1t is nothing less than horrd sensation have
tried to draw full breath through my silver tube only
to find that could not-there inside Of me
for than just the amount Of air had been breathing
while the plaster was being put And was al
most stranged because the workman slapped the plaster
onto my stomach and chest while was exhang breath
and 1t hardened into place moment later while was
again exhang giving me room for expansion with the
intake of air. had to breathe in little jerks until the
mould complete. Imprisoned in this way the model
feels If oil the heavness Of the universe pressed
about her, slowly crushing her to death.
Before the plaster put the face silk strings
laid the eyes, around the forehead and over the
mouth The ends of these strings held out protrud
ing from the hardened plaster
When the plaster all has sodied then commences the
process Of removing the mould from the model without
hurting her more than is necessary First the strings
proruding from the around the face are pulled
They through the plaster and break it away from the
face and head The plaster off in irregular broken
Jumps some Of it almost in crumbs, and yet each tiny
piece must be carefully preserved laid the floor such
that the pieces of the face mould assembled a.
they come of in piece.
The face Of the model cleared the workmen begin with
little hammers and chises to break off the plaster from
the rest of the body They start the throat
the off in large chunks as possible Each piece
Is put carefully in place on the floor.
At last the plaster has all been knocked off the model
in small and large pieces and these pieces assembled on
the floor in groups representing part of the girl anat
omy. Now the model is through. She runs into bath
Of water in which there has been placed some soda
to cut away the grease She rubbed down and soon is
refreshed and none the worse for her experience.
The workmen assisted by the artist and the master
caster begin to reassembe the odd and apparently shape
less bits Of hard plaster Laboriousy starting at the
feet the little pieces fitted ogetherbis Of plaster
sometimes larger than small dice have be fitted in
perfectly that their smooth side representing the place