Wax museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A wax museum or waxworks consists of a collection wax figures representing famous people from history and contemporary personalities exhibited in lifelike poses.
Wax museums often have a special section dubbed the chamber of horrors in which the more grisly exhibits are displayed.
- See also: death mask
Wax museums can be credited to Marie Tussaud, who traveled Europe with wax sculptures in the late 1700s.
[edit] Notable wax museums
Madame Tussaud's is perhaps the most famous name associated with wax museums. In 1835 Madame Tussaud established her first permanent exhibition in London's Baker Street. There is also a large Madame Tussaud's in Dam Square, Amsterdam, and two locations in the USA: the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in Times Square in New York City.
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 in fact attended the unveilings of the wax incarnations. The museum closed its doors on October 31, 2005 after years of dwindling attendance, however, a Ripley's Believe It or Not! museum nearby remains open.
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 of horror films and literature. Another popular wax museum in the US 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" [1].
