Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-19
WAX LADIES AND WINDOW DISPLAYS
by Frederic J. Haskin.


washington. Aug. 19~-Have you
noticed the wax ladies In the snop
windows lately? That IN really trick
question. because the wax ladies tako
a long vacation every year. BENG
wax they simply cannot stand tho moi
summer sun for any length OK Tune,
but when you DO see the patricians OF
the show windows on display again
take n hard look at them. Ten TO ono
they arc entirely different from your
mental picture OF typical wax
model.
The fact II the typical wax model
with It's snccharine smile, It's baby doii
cxpression. and It's EXCLUSIVES thick as
tooth brushes, IL now declasse. In Its
place has come wax figure that Us
still sweetly beautiful, but much mere
human looking. Each one has the
pink cheeks and ruby lips that come
out OF n bottle for wax as well as hui
man faces But each ngnre is modelled
from life AZ a statue Ia and the fea-
lures OF the model are faithfully re-
produced One figure offered TO the
display men this year Is a wax bath
ing beauty modelled from a champion
swimmer with Mary Pickford curls
In the property room Of n big de-
partment store a score or more Of
, these highest types OF waxen puIchri-
, tude may be seen. In ono small
} case window trimmer pointed out
about 50 1000 worth OF wax.
, There was one head OF n Spanish
=. type Of beauty. This wax lady would
rank high in any beauty contest, and
8 dressed in an expensive frock she
, would undoubtedly be a triumph. Yet
she had rather strong features. and
nose that was a trine irregular when
viewed at close range.
Her neighbor in the case wore gray
hair 10 represent woman OF about
fifty years. This Tnatron was even
more unusual for a wax figure than
= the black haired debutante. She had
the perfect complexion and the elabor-
ate couture OF a carefully groomed So
ciety woman. But she also had two
distinct chins, and there were ridges
on the sides OF the nose where eye
glasses had pressed against the bridge
, This model usually wears glasses wher
!, mature woman should look at a brids.
party or on motor trip.
Other types that rubbed armies
"A shoulders In the case were a ahor
N haired high school girl curly haire.
az little girl. and young man Wit
A. features that any movie hero smigh
envy. All the figures, however, wer
IN lifelike. Some had even been give
expressions suggesting intelligence.
or Cold Also Bothers Them.
T. Between appearances and in yer
or hot weather the heads OF the depart
8; ment store wax works spend the
Is time in the glass case. which is key
-, at an even temperature The wa
t. models are exacting in their choice
he climate. Extreme cold IL az fatal (
or their delicate constitutions an extrerr
heat They cannot be- put In co
de storage lest tho wax crack
In spite OF their sensitiveness
CHI climate the models are almost Alway
de dressed unseasonably. II you arc a
he habitud window shopper you kno
as that the poor things blossom forth 1
ed Palm Beach sport clothes and batl
e. ing suits after Christmas, resardIe,
ne of tho snow that may be piled arour
the window.
eh In blustery March. the models hur-
into summer clothes. and when 4
sce weather Is just cool enough TO
na safe for a wax complexion they ha
'a 70 put on winter overcoats and fur,
'us Being wax beauty is hard Il
80 with no rewards. With all OF b
charms. wax lady is merely
&c clothes rack. She must be beautii
- merely because If she were homely I
passer-by would notice her defe,
and ridicuie her instead Of study
= the clothes she wears. Her W
groomed beauty makes her an une
trusive part OF the picture. and I
shoppers, who know that the dress
the thing TO look at, see the wearer
the fine feathers only vaguely.
The property room, where the W
models stay when they are of du
Is an interesting part Of a departing
store rarely seen by shoppers. T
room. on the top floor or in some
of the way part of the ESTABLISHING
! is like a glimpse behind the scenes
a theatre. AS matter of fact.
, display windows really are miniat-
| stages. set with scenery. furnit,
draperies, and othe< prcperties 81
, liar to those used in the theatre.
, One main difference is that in 81
windows the touches that make
Inhabited room unlike another
rarely used. The little things !
lend realism 10 a stage scene VIC
5 distract the attention of window sll
l pers from the articles featured IN
!, III display.
!, III Another difference between the
: atrical stage and the shop win