KOHLER’S WAX-FIGURE EXHIBITION.

Kumara Times, Issue 1695, 6 March 1882, Page 2

KOHLER’S WAX-FIGURE EXHIBITION.

A vij.it to Kohler’s exhibition of wax figures and! museum of curiosities mar be said to be well worth the time and trouble; dr the Siiiall charge for admission, Sketches, engravings, photographs oil paintings, water-colors, and, in fact’, every kind of illustration of men axid things are always first scanned before descriptive matter is read; and very often the frdntispie.ee will depict to an intelligent eye tlie whole story of a book. If an illustrated newspaper be taken xip the reader will generally first glance at the engravings, and thus form an idea whether the subject matter will be interesting to him or her. Now there is is Ho picture which ctiri approach so near to real life aa a well-executed lifesize wax figure ; glass feyes are made in subh quantities and to such perfection that the minutest detail can be imitated. And we must admit that the Kohler exhibition in'this respect took us sonie : what by surprise. If w e may judge of the whole by a few which we know ate very truthful likenesses, then we caii say the figures which are to be seen at the Theatre Royal may be considered as life-like as it is possible for human art to make them. Even the known character has been faithfully studied and brought out by the artist; and, when to the figure is added a fascimile of axid in some instances even the very clotheS worm by the person whose image is pourtrayed, a strange mixture of sentiment is produced in the mind as onfe' passes in view the several figures. Another feature in the collection is that the subjects are all familiar to colonial readers. The present Premier of England (the Hon. W. E. Gladstone), Mr Parnell, the Ex-Empress of the French and the late Prince Imperial* Daniel O’Connell (the great Irish patriot), the present Pope (Leo X111.),' the Emperor of Germany, and Prince Bismarck, Peabody, (the great philan. Ihopist), Arthur Orton (the “ Claimant, ), may all be seen pi’eoisely as they were in the zenith of their fame or popularity. Of colonists, we find models ot the brave explorers, Burke, Wills, and King, who were the first to cross the Australian continent, depicted as they were found at Cooper’s Creek on their return ; the Kelly gang (with the Kelly armour), Sergeant Kennedy, Constables Scanlatr,' M‘lntyre, and Lonigan; Morgan, “Captain Moonlite,” Nesbitt, and Rogan j Judge Barry, as he appeared on the Kelly trial • also eight or nine prodigies—Toni Thumb, Commodore Nutt, &c. So that the display is, without doubt, the most extensive collection ever brought to New Zealand, The Talking Machine, the Electric Youth, and the music will be subjects for another issue. The exhibition will be open for a few days only, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.