HOW WAX FIGURES ARE MADE

Evening Star, Issue 18999, 22 July 1925, Page 4

HOW WAX FIGURES ARE MADE

A SKILLED INDUSTRY If the wax figures which we see at every turn in the show windows ot tin; liilterent large costumiers, and in the windows of the modern hairdresser or other similar places, were possessed of a real heart and real tinman nerves, we are sure they would have forgotten how to .smile as they usually do at us. from the very moment of their first being (states a writer in a trade journal). They would surely still be soaked in tears if they could remember the thorny and uncomfortable path which they had to go ere they were fit to present that smile of which we just spoke. A visit to the works where wax figures are made is by no moans a very nice sensation. One must have a certain amount of nerves to bo prepared to see odd arms and legs and even heads, perfect in every way to the several members of the human body, lying about as if they had just been cut off m a wholesale butchery . . . but wc forget! they are not cut off, they are waiting to be built together into an imitation of real man.

One would hardly suppose that the making of wax figures necessitates the hard work which it does. The former lias no easy job; he has to perform very hard work indeed. The substance ol which so-called wax figures are made is specially prepared in the different works. It is a mixture of wax and other ingredients, since wax alone would not be able to withstand tho different degrees of heat to which the finished article is subjected. This mixture is placed in a fairly-fhiid condition into a wax bath, and is then carefully poured into the forms. The casting"is also no simple matter. It requires great care, otherwise the finished figure would exhibit flaws in the way of bubbles, etc. Once the casting is commenced, it must in no way be allowed to come to an interruption. After the mixture has been in the form for about twenty minutes, it will be found that an outer layer of about one centimetre in thickness has hardened itself to the walls of the form. The still fluid mixture is then poured out of the form again and used for the next cast after having again been made perfectly liquid by reheating. It will surprise many to hear that tho form for the head of a wax figure, for instance, consists of four separate parts, whilst that of an arm is made of twelve different pieces. The cast part is allowed to remain in the form for half a day in order to get quite hard, after which the several parts of the form are taken away and tho member is ready in raw. It is simply astonishing through how many hands the head of a wax figure must pass. It will go from one hand to the other, and is subjected to innumerable manipulations before it is finished. First of all it is smoothed off, then its eyes are placed in position, and if it is to he with open mouth its several teeth are inserted. Tho eves are of glass and are fitted from within the form, a job which requires a certain amount of skill to give both eyes the same visual direction. After this operation the head is polished, and blisters in the cast aro removed and other flaws equalised. This done the head is passed on to (he hairdresser or hairmaker. Each single hair is put on separately by means of a special needle. It is hard to imagine what amount, of skill is necessary to perform this part of tho work. It requires much practice, and is performed by workers who do nothing else. There is a, firm in Berlin where a certain man works every day in the year, as he. lias done for many years past, doing nothing else than stitching hair on such models. The hair which is used is real Chinese hair, which is specially prepared for the purpose. It becomes firmly embedded in the wax mixture, which is warmed up for this operation, and will not give way again even if the figure is lifted by the hair. After the hair is in position, the head is still a very queer thing to look at, for it has no eyebrows and lashes. These have to be first fixed to strips of some kind of material, and are then glued on. Once the hair is all in position " the head wanders into the. shop where, artists in hair culture arc employed to dress tho dummy’s head. This is a task which is infinitely easier to perform on a living human being than an artificial one. During all these processes tho head still looks a very ghastly affair, for it has absolutely no color until it has next passed through the hands of the painter, who very often spends many hours on each head. Each head requires individual treatment, for tho tint must also be matched to the color of the hair. Finally, after arms and legs have also been subjected to similar polishing and painting operations, and after the huger nails mue l„,>n very carefully fitted, the anatomical jmltiiisi together is performed—i.e., head, bodv. and legs aro put together. Whilst the head and arms, and, perhaps, the upper part of the body, consists of tho wax mixture as has been described, the other parts consist of pressed cardboard or papier mnehe. Figures made for ’dressmakers’ or tailors’ shop windows are frequently covered with some j?nrt of drapery on tho lower part of the body in order to enable those tradesmen to conveniently attach their wares. The legs are also given a flesh tint, whilst the feet aro usually fitted into permanent footwear. The putting together of (he different parts of the body is another “ painful ” operation; arms and legs frequently have to be turned and twisted into position until everything is in order, and the artificial man or woman is complete. The wax figure is now prepared tn start on its journey to all parts of the world. Its fixed smile laughs at all nationalities in every corner of the globe. How many of ns who see and admire the lovely workmanship know of the wearisome labor that was necessary to produce that captivating smile upon its face? "We may well wonder whether the figure has a, heart as we have, for it looks so natural, so very human-like. It is a, masterpiece of plastic art.