Wax museum
Encyclopedia
A wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection of wax sculptures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses.
Wax
museum
s often have a special section dubbed the chamber of horrors in which the more grisly exhibits are displayed.
Wax museums can be credited to Marie Tussaud
, who traveled Europe with wax sculptures in the late 18th century.
, historically associated with London
, is the most famous name associated with wax museums. In 1835 Madame Tussaud established her first permanent exhibition in London
's Baker Street
. There are also Madame Tussauds in Dam Square
, Amsterdam
; Berlin
; Hong Kong
; Shanghai
; and three locations in the United States
: the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
, Times Square
in New York City
, and a new one in Washington, D.C.
. Louis Tussaud's wax museum in San Antonio, Texas
, is across the street from the historic Alamo
. Another is located on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls
.
One of the most popular wax museums in the United States for decades was The Movieland Wax Museum
in Buena Park, California
, near Knott's Berry Farm
. The museum opened in 1962 and through the years added many wax figures of famous show business figures. Several stars attended the unveilings of the wax incarnations. The museum closed its doors on October 31, 2005, after years of dwindling attendance.
However, the most enduring museum in the United States is the Hollywood Wax Museum
located in Hollywood, California which features almost exclusively figures of movie actors displayed in settings associated with their roles in popular movies. This group of museums includes facilities in Branson, Missouri
and Gatlinburg, Tennessee
near Pidgeon Forge. With the original location having been developed in the mid-1960s, the most recent reports suggest that this group of museums is experiencing brisk business with the Branson location having undergone a substantial expansion and remodeling in 2008 and 2009 including an animated ride and a mirror maze.
Another popular wax museum is the Musee Conti Wax Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana
, which features wax figures portraying the city's history as well as a "Haunted Dungeon" section of wax figures of famous characters from horror films and literature. Another popular wax museum in the U.S. is the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California
.
The Royal London Wax Museum in downtown Victoria, British Columbia
, Canada
, features "royalty to rogues and the renowned."
The National Wax Museum
in Dublin, Ireland is a wax museum which hosts well over a hundred figures. For many years it has had only one sculptor, PJ Heraty, who continued producing figures even while the museum was closed. Meanwhile it could be re-opened at a new location.
During the last few years some other new wax museums are starting around the world. In 2009 Dreamland Wax Museum opened in Gramado, in the south of Brazil. "Wax World" a museum with a collection of wax statues of Indian freedom fighters opened in the Hill station Udhagamandalam (Ooty) India in March 2007. Another branch of this museum opened in July 2008 at the historical site of Old Goa with a collection of religious statues. A unique wax museum on musicians and musical instruments named "Melody World" opened at Mysore, India in October 2010.
Wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s often have a special section dubbed the chamber of horrors in which the more grisly exhibits are displayed.
Wax museums can be credited to Marie Tussaud
Marie Tussaud
Anna Maria Tussaud was an artist known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussaud's, the wax museum she founded in London.- Biography :...
, who traveled Europe with wax sculptures in the late 18th century.
Notable wax museums
Madame TussaudsMadame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's", but the apostrophe is no longer used...
, historically associated with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, is the most famous name associated with wax museums. In 1835 Madame Tussaud established her first permanent exhibition in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Baker Street
Baker Street
Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
. There are also Madame Tussauds in Dam Square
Dam Square
Dam Square, or simply the Dam is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the most well-known and important locations in the city.- Location and description :...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
; Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
; Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
; and three locations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and a new one in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Louis Tussaud's wax museum in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, is across the street from the historic Alamo
Alamo
The Battle of the Alamo was a battle fought during the Texas Revolution.Alamo may also refer to:-Places:*Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas*Alamo, California*Alamo, Georgia*Alamo Township, Michigan*Alamo, Nevada*Alamo, New Mexico...
. Another is located on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
.
One of the most popular wax museums in the United States for decades was The Movieland Wax Museum
Movieland Wax Museum
Movieland Wax Museum, with over 300 wax figures in 150 sets, was the largest wax museum in the United States. Located in Buena Park, California, it was one of the most popular wax museums in United States for decades...
in Buena Park, California
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
, near Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
. The museum opened in 1962 and through the years added many wax figures of famous show business figures. Several stars attended the unveilings of the wax incarnations. The museum closed its doors on October 31, 2005, after years of dwindling attendance.
However, the most enduring museum in the United States is the Hollywood Wax Museum
Hollywood Wax Museum
The ' is located in the heart of the tourist district of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA and in Branson, Missouri, USA.The museum, the brainchild of entrepreneur Spoony Singh, was opened in 1965, and claims in promotional literature to be the only wax museum dedicated solely to celebrities...
located in Hollywood, California which features almost exclusively figures of movie actors displayed in settings associated with their roles in popular movies. This group of museums includes facilities in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
and Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
Gatlinburg is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, Gatlinburg had a population of 3,828. The city is a popular vacation resort, as it rests on the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S...
near Pidgeon Forge. With the original location having been developed in the mid-1960s, the most recent reports suggest that this group of museums is experiencing brisk business with the Branson location having undergone a substantial expansion and remodeling in 2008 and 2009 including an animated ride and a mirror maze.
Another popular wax museum is the Musee Conti Wax Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, which features wax figures portraying the city's history as well as a "Haunted Dungeon" section of wax figures of famous characters from horror films and literature. Another popular wax museum in the U.S. is the Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
The Royal London Wax Museum in downtown Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, features "royalty to rogues and the renowned."
The National Wax Museum
National Wax Museum (Ireland)
The National Wax Museum is a privately owned waxworks museum in Dublin, Ireland. On October 7, 2009, the museum officially re-opened following extensive renovation at its new location in the left flank of the Irish Houses of Parliament, at Foster Place.- Background:Formerly, the museum was...
in Dublin, Ireland is a wax museum which hosts well over a hundred figures. For many years it has had only one sculptor, PJ Heraty, who continued producing figures even while the museum was closed. Meanwhile it could be re-opened at a new location.
During the last few years some other new wax museums are starting around the world. In 2009 Dreamland Wax Museum opened in Gramado, in the south of Brazil. "Wax World" a museum with a collection of wax statues of Indian freedom fighters opened in the Hill station Udhagamandalam (Ooty) India in March 2007. Another branch of this museum opened in July 2008 at the historical site of Old Goa with a collection of religious statues. A unique wax museum on musicians and musical instruments named "Melody World" opened at Mysore, India in October 2010.
See also
- House of WaxHouse of WaxHouse of Wax may refer to:*a wax museum*House of Wax , a 1953 3D horror film starring Vincent Price*House of Wax , a 2005 horror film starring Elisha Cuthbert and Chad Michael Murray- See also :...
, horror films, based on wax sculpture and wax museums - Death MaskDeath maskIn Western cultures a death mask is a wax or plaster cast made of a person’s face following death. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits...
- Newton BewleyNewton BewleyNewton Bewley is a village and civil parish in the borough of Hartlepool and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated between the towns of Hartlepool and Billingham...