#2: Welcome to Boston’s Dreamland Wax Museum!
Who needs the restroom?
Seating and Introduction
About Us
Opened Aug 2017 replacing one that burned down in the 1970s
Family managed with mission to educate and entertain
Presentation of Paul Revere’s Shop, History of and Making of Wax Figures
Questions (end or after each slide)
#3: Did you know Paul Revere was a goldsmith, silversmith and dentist?
This is the historic site of Paul Revere’s goldsmith and silversmith shop!
MA State House dome was covered in copper (made here) in 1802.
CSI 1775 – a veteran was identified at Bunker Hill by silver fillings from Paul Revere
#4: The Midnight Ride April 18, 1775 with William Dawes
Rode to warn American patriots of invading British Regulars (not “red coats”)
“One if by land, Two if by sea” 2 lanterns lit in North Church
Slipped past a British warship in the Charles and rode to Lexington
#5: Have you tried Augmented Reality?
Interact with pop-up videos on your phone
Free download “Dreamland Wax Museum” app
WiFi password “silversmith” on “Dreamland Guest”
AR Demonstration
Open app and select famous figure
Point the screen downward to a target
Click video and photo to share 1-of-a-kind shots!
#6: What is the best way to save someone’s likeness?
Drawings and paintings fade with time
Sculpting attempts to recreate
Death Masks started 9,000 years ago!
A death mask is a cast of a face taken shortly after death to preserve their likeness
Egyptians and Africans first made Death Masks for burials and religious rites
Believed it was important to give the soul a place to dwell after death
First a negative face casting is made from clay or papyrus soaked in plaster
Then the mask is cast in inexpensive wood or more expensive metals
Masks were preserved and used to create statues and busts
#7: Can you identify the famous Death Masks?
King Tut 1323 BCE
Dante 1320
Queen Mary of Scots 1587
John Keats 1821
Napoleon 1821
#8: Life Masks are casts taken of a living person.
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln
Life masks made in 1860 and April 1865 shortly before he died
Casts of his hands were also made
Artist Leonard Volk preserved the cast for other artists and sculptors
Most reliable document of Lincoln’s face, far more valuable than any photograph
#9: How did Photography affect Life Masks?
Masks and their artists faded with photography
Still used as investigation tools into late 1900’s for unidentified bodies
Unknown Woman of the Siene
Well-known death mask “L’Inconnue de la Seine”
Cast from a drowned girl in Paris in the 1880s
Her smile is often compared to that of the Mona Lisa
Though never identified, it became a popular cultural icon in France
Red Cross adapted her face to become Resusci “Rescue” Annie for CPR training
#10: Let me tell you about a girl named Marie
Born Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg, France 1761
Learned wax modelling from “uncle” Dr. Curtius and moved to Paris
First figure at 16, and in her 20s became famous for Rousseau, Voltaire, and Ben Franklin
Royal Court Versailles 1780 – 1789
Art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister Elisabeth
Reign of Terror, French Revolution Marie seen as a sympathizer
Royal family beheaded, Marie forced to make their death masks (king, queen, Marie Antoinette, Marat, Robespierre)
Curtius died in 1794 and left all his wax works to Marie
Tussauds, Travel and London
Marie married Francois Tussaud in 1795 and moved to London 1802
Toured Britain showing her portraits for 33 years
Permanent gallery in “Baker Street Bazaar” 1835
#11: Does Anyone Know How They’re Made?
Still made the old-fashioned way
Despite technological advances, wax figure production hasn’t changed much over centuries
Even today, Bees Wax is still the primary component in the wax mixture
New wax solutions and petroleum products are added for strength and durability.
Precision is key; this means taking over 200 photographs and over 200 intricate measurements of their subject.
The head, which contains the most detail and is the most difficult part to perfect, is created as a separate, removable piece.
#12: Step by Step
Average 8 months and $80,000!!!
Artist sculpts the face and head in clay
Artist applies?plaster to the head in sections
When the plaster hardens, they cut and remove the plaster from the clay
Plaster creates the master mold. They must clean it out thoroughly and put it back together
Hot wax is then poured into the plaster mold
Once it cools the thick layer of?wax will harden
The hollow head is now ready to be removed from the plaster mold and finely sculpted
Details
Hand-painted acrylic eyeballs
10 layers of oil paint for skin tone
Facial and head hair added 1 at a time
#13: How many hairs does a person have?
Each hair is inserted one at a time with a special tool
Eyebrows, eye lashes, facial hair, and even body hair
Just the hair alone can take up to 3 months!
#15: Fresh Wax Head
Hair, Paint and Make up
Body and Costume
#17: Any Questions?
Same height as the person
Made from a few artists around the world
We’re always adding more
Guidelines
Please take photos with the figures
Do not touch the wax – oils and dirt from hands damage them
Augmented Reality mobile app
Green Screen and Oval Office
Enjoy Your Visit!