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Shared a valuable publication.

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{{short description|Museum displaying a collection of wax representations of famous people}}
{{Redirect|Wax Museum|the Jay and the Americans album|Wax Museum (Jay and the Americans album){{!}}''Wax Museum'' (Jay and the Americans album)|the ''Amphibia'' episode|Wax Museum (Amphibia){{!}}Wax Museum (''Amphibia'')}}
{{Redirect|Wax works|the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short|Wax Works}}
[[File:CeciliaCheung MadameTussauds.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A modern wax sculpture of [[Cecilia Cheung]] at [[Madame Tussauds Hong Kong]].]]
[[File:Satyajit Ray at Mother's Wax Museum, Calcutta.jpg|alt=Satyajit Ray at Mother's Wax Museum, Calcutta|thumb|[[Satyajit Ray]] at [[Mother's Wax Museum]], [[Kolkata]].]]
A '''wax museum''' or '''waxworks''' usually consists of a collection of [[wax sculpture]]s representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses, wearing real clothes.

Some wax [[museum]]s have a special section dubbed the "[[Chamber of Horrors (Madame Tussauds)|Chamber of Horrors]]", in which the more grisly exhibits are displayed. Some collections are more specialized, as, for example, collections of wax medical models once used for training medical professionals. Many museums or displays in historical houses that are not wax museums as such use wax figures as part of their displays. The origin of wax museums goes back to the early 18th century at least, and wax funeral [[effigies]] of royalty and some other figures exhibited by their tombs had essentially been tourist attractions well before that.

==History before 1800==
[[File:Elizabeth of york - funeral effigy.jpg|thumb|left|The funeral effigy (without clothes) of [[Elizabeth of York]], mother of [[King Henry VIII]], 1503, [[Westminster Abbey]]]]
The making of life-size wax figures wearing real clothes grew out of the funeral practices of European royalty. In the [[Middle Ages]] it was the habit to carry the corpse, fully dressed, on top of the coffin at royal funerals, but this sometimes had unfortunate consequences in hot weather, and the custom of making an [[effigy]] in wax for this role grew, again wearing actual clothes so that only the head and hands needed wax models. After the funeral these were often displayed by the tomb or elsewhere in the church, and became a popular attraction for visitors, which it was often necessary to pay to view.<ref name="westminster-abbey.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/royals/funerals|title=Royals}}</ref>

The [[Westminster Abbey Museum]] in London has a collection of British royal funeral effigies made of varying materials going back to that of [[Edward III of England]]'s wooden likeness<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/royals/edward-iii-and-philippa-of-hainault | title=Edward III and Philippa of Hainault }}</ref> (died 1377), as well as those of figures such as the naval hero [[Horatio Nelson]], and [[Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond]], who also had her parrot stuffed and displayed. From the funeral of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] in 1680 they were no longer placed on the coffin but were still made for later display.<ref name="westminster-abbey.org"/> The effigy of Charles II, open-eyed and standing, was displayed over his tomb until the early 19th century, when all the Westminster effigies were removed from the abbey itself.{{citation needed}} Nelson's effigy was a pure tourist attraction, commissioned the year after his death in 1805, and his burial not in the Abbey but in [[St Paul's Cathedral]] after a government decision that major public figures should in future be buried there. Concerned for their revenue from visitors, the Abbey decided it needed a rival attraction for admirers of Nelson.<ref>[http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/horatio,-viscount-nelson Westminster Abbey, "Horatio, Viscount Nelson"].</ref>

[[File:Cabinet de cire, Musée de la Révolution française.jpg|thumb|Wax museum in 1792 with the three fathers of the French Revolution, [[Benjamin Franklin|Franklin]], [[Voltaire]] and [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]], installed at [[Elysium]].<br>([[musée de la Révolution française]])]]
In European courts including that of France the making of posed wax figures became popular. [[Antoine Benoist (painter)|Antoine Benoist]] (1632–1717) was a French court painter and sculptor in wax to [[King Louis XIV]]. He exhibited forty-three [[wax]] figures of the French ''Royal Circle'' at his residence in Paris. Thereafter, the king authorized the figurines to be shown throughout France. His work became so highly regarded that [[James II of England]] invited him to visit [[England]] in 1684. There he executed works of the English king and members of his court. A seated figure of [[Peter the Great]] of Russia survives, made by an Italian artist, after the Tsar was impressed by the figures he saw at the [[Chateau of Versailles]]. The Danish court painter [[Johann Salomon Wahl]] executed figures of the Danish king and queen in about 1740.<ref>Taylor, 37</ref>

The 'Moving Wax Works of the Royal Court of England', a museum or exhibition of 140 life-size figures, some apparently with clockwork moving parts, opened by Mrs Mary in [[Fleet Street]] in London was doing excellent business in 1711. [[Philippe Curtius]], waxwork modeller to the French court, opened his ''Cabinet de Cire'' as a tourist attraction in Paris in 1770, which remained open until 1802. In 1783 this added a ''Caverne des Grands Voleurs'' ("Cave of the Great Thieves"), an early "Chamber of Horrors". He bequeathed his collection to his protégée [[Marie Tussaud]], who during the [[French Revolution]] made [[death mask]]s of the executed royals.<ref>Taylor, 37-38</ref>

==Notable wax museums==
[[File:2017 Madame Tussauds London 01.jpg|thumb|Madame Tussauds location in London]]
[[Madame Tussauds]], historically associated with [[London]], is the most famous name associated with wax museums, although it was not the earliest wax museum, as is sometimes thought. In 1835 Madame Tussaud established her first permanent exhibition in [[London]]'s [[Baker Street]]. By the late 19th century most large cities had some kind of commercial wax museum, like the [[Musée Grévin]] in Paris or the [[Panoptikum Hamburg]], and for a century these remained highly popular. In the late 20th century it became harder for them to compete with other attractions.

Today there are also Madame Tussauds in [[Dam Square]], [[Amsterdam]]; [[Berlin]]; [[Madame Tussauds Hong Kong]]; [[Shanghai]]; and five locations in the [[United States]]: the [[The Venetian (Las Vegas)|Venetian Hotel]] in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas, Nevada]], [[Times Square]] in [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco|Fisherman's Wharf]] in [[San Francisco]] and [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]].

Louis Tussaud's wax museum in [[San Antonio, Texas]], is across the street from the historic [[Alamo]]. Others are located on the Canadian side of [[Niagara Falls]], and [[Grand Prairie, Texas]].

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 [[Hollywood Wax Museum Branson]] in [[Branson, Missouri]] along with [[Hollywood Wax Museum Pigeon Forge]] in [[Pigeon Forge, Tennessee]] and [[Hollywood Wax Museum Myrtle Beach]] in [[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]]. With the original location having been developed in the mid-1960s, this group of museums went against the late 20th century trend of declining wax museum attendance, 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 Musée 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. This museum is currently closed as the Conti building is being converted into condos. The museum should reopen at Jazzland Theme Park some time in the future.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wgno.com/2016/07/19/the-musee-conti-wax-museum-plans-to-move-to-the-new-jazzland-theme-park-eventually/|title=The Musee Conti Wax Museum plans to move to the new Jazzland theme park – eventually}}</ref> Another popular wax museum in the U.S. is the [[Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf]] in [[San Francisco, California]].

[[BibleWalk]] is a Christian wax museum in [[Mansfield, Ohio]].<ref name="contact">{{cite web|url=https://www.biblewalk.us/contact/|title=About Us|website=BibleWalk|access-date=May 22, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb6y53pdN4M |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Sb6y53pdN4M| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Biblewalk Wax Museum |website=[[YouTube]]|access-date=May 22, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> It has received attention for its use of celebrity wax figures in its religious scenes,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/11802032/Wax-figures-of-British-royals-appear-at-US-Biblical-museum.html |title=Wax figures of British royals appear at US Biblical museum |last=Lawler |first=David |website=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |access-date=May 22, 2018 }}</ref> originally a cost-saving measure when new wax figures were deemed too expensive.<ref name="contact" />

The [[Royal London Wax Museum]] was open in downtown [[Victoria, British Columbia]], Canada, from 1970 to 2010 in the Steamship Terminal building, it featured "royalty to rogues and the renowned." It was forced to close when the building required seismic upgrades.

The [[National Wax Museum (Ireland)|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.

[[The National Presidential Wax Museum]] {{citation needed}} in Keystone, South Dakota is the only wax museum in the world to feature every U.S. president. Their exhibits also include other notable figures from history such as General George Custer, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Sitting Bull. Originally created by the famed sculptor Katherine Stubergh, the museum includes death and life masks of notable Hollywood celebrities including Mae West and Sid Grauman. Their most revered exhibit is a depiction of George W. Bush standing on the rubble of the World Trade Center with NYFD fireman Bob Beckwith following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

India's first wax museum opened in December 2005 in Kanyakumari. Now located to Lonavala it contains 100 wax statues of celebrities at Lonavala Square Mall. The biggest in India wax museum named [[Mother's Wax Museum]] was opened in November 2014 in [[Rajarhat|New Town, Kolkata]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan's wax statues at Kolkata's wax museum - Times of India|website=[[The Times of India]]|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/Amitabh-Bachchan-and-Shah-Rukh-Khans-wax-statues-at-Kolkatas-wax-museum/articleshow/45022680.cms}}</ref> Another branch opened in July 2008 at the historical site of Old Goa with a collection of religious statues.

[[Madame Tussauds]] opened its first museum in India at New Delhi in 2017.

== Depictions ==
* [[Mystery of the Wax Museum]]
* [[House of Wax (1953 film)]]
* [[Museo del horror]]
* [[Terror in the Wax Museum]]
* [[Waxwork (film)]]
* [[House of Wax (2005 film)]]

==See also==
* [[Wax sculpture]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Taylor, Lou, ''The Study of Dress History'', 2002, Manchester University Press, {{ISBN|0719040655}}, 9780719040658, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ca7l3qh8h_YC&pg=PA37 google books]

[[Category:Wax museums]]
[[Category:Types of museums]]
[[Category:Types of art museums and galleries]]

Wax museum - Revision history

Wassu13: Shared a valuable publication.