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Wax Figure, female, in a dark gold colored gown with lace trim. With original turned wooden stand and glass bell jar cover.
figures (representations)
wax
linen (material)
silk (textile)
shell (animal material)
Figure
"Cherished Possessions": These extraordinary objects, made by the teen-aged daughter of a well-to-do Boston, Massachusetts, family, are the only American-made free-standing figures known to have survived from the eighteenth century. Wax work, like fancy needlework, was among the artistic skills considered important in the education of young girls during this period. Sarah Gee supported these figures on armatures and used colored beeswax and real fabric trimmed with lace dipped in wax for their bodies. They are protected by their original English bell jars and mounted on turned wooden pedestals made to fit the jars. Considering their fragility, the fact that they have survived in excellent condition is a testament to how much they were treasured by Gee's descendants.
Gardner, Sarah, 1709-1794 (Maker)
23 1/2 x 10 1/2 (HxD) (inches)
Gift of Mary C. Stimpson
1924.918
Massachusetts (United States)
Boston (Suffolk county, Massachusetts)
Title Wax Figure Accession Number 1924.919
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