Cabinets of Curiosity in St. Augustine

Robert Ripley, 1889 - 1949, American.
Traveled the world collecting the exotic.

Ripley was a cartoonist.

A contemporary advertisement for the museum.
The museum is located on San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine.

A recent addition to the Ripley collection.  Link here to see and read more.

Franklin Smith, 1826 - 1911.
Abolitionist, proponent for Washington D.C., travels and collects.

Villa Zorayda, located here in St. Augustine.
Built by Smith in 1883, inspired by travel to Spain, Egypt, Morocco.
Fantasy architecture in Florida.

Anna Maria Grosholtz (Madame Tussaud)
1761, France - 1850, England.
Wax artist.  Established first wax museum in England.

Established 1948.  Potter's Wax Museum is located in St. Augustine 
and was the first wax museum in United States.
Link here to view website.

Wax heads of those deceased displayed in home.
Anatomy Act of 1832 in Britian
"More and more teaching was done with wax models....The whole bodies that were produced were nearly all of women.  Many of those made towards the end of the eighteenth century were sold in Britai, France and elsewhere as 'Venuses'.  Their faces were beautiful, their 'skin' was coloured and tehy had eyelashes and flowing long hair.  Their bodies opened to reveal body parts, particularly foetuses.  The 'Venus' was displayed lying invitingly on silk or velvet cushions, and was often decorated with a pearl necklace.  Few whole male bodies were made.  Males had no wax 'flesh' or clothes and were always shown upright to demonstrate the position of muscles and bones.  Perhaps the difference was intended to show that men were good for action, but women only to reproduce and be ornamental."  -source is Madame Tussaud: The History of Wax Works by Pamela Pilbeam.  Chapter 1, The History of Wax Modeling.  Link here.

Wax models by Joseph Towne (1806 - 1879, British).
Many of his models are on display at Guy Hospital in London.
More info and image on The History Blog.  Link here.

Wax Model Doll

With their capacity to titillate as well as educate, anatomical models became sought-after curiosities, displayed not only in dissecting rooms but also in sideshows and the curiosity cabinets of wealthy Victorian gentlemen.  For a small admission fee, visitors seeking an unusual afternoon's entertainment could bisit displays of these strange dolls in London, Paris, Brussels and Barcelona.  -source is Welcom Collection.  Link here.