Wax on, wax off, wax hanging on by a thread
Making lifelike figures in wax goes back at least to the Middle Ages, when a funeral for a royal or a priest entailed carrying the corpse on top of the coffin. In really hot weather, this resulted in stomach-turning consequences; so instead, wax effigies were made to travel from church to gravesite.
In 1835, Madame Tussaud established the world’s first commercial wax museum, on Baker Street in London. Here patrons could gawk at celebrities like Voltaire, opera star Maria Malibran, and various kings and popes. By the late 19th century, the wax-museum craze had taken hold and most large cities had one. In recent decades, many wax museums have met their demise, unable to compete with glitzier, more technologically enhanced forms of entertainment.
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Address 917 Conti Street, New Orleans, LA 70112, +1(504) 525-2605, www.neworleanswaxmuseum.com | Hours Mon, Fri, and Sat 10am–4pm| Tip The spirits of Andrew Jackson and pirate Jean Lafitte can also be found at Pierre Maspero’s restaurant (440 Chartres St). The two are rumored to have once met there to plan the Battle of New Orleans. The British had solicited Lafitte to help them navigate the waterways from the Gulf of Mexico to launch an attack on New Orleans for control of the Mississippi. Lafitte met with Jackson to entertain a better offer. Given the promise of his brother’s release from jail, Lafitte signed over his 1000 men, who proved critical in defeating the British.
Musée Conti Wax Museum, which opened in New Orleans in 1963, remains a disheveled but delightful artifact of a bygone era. Most of the figures were made in France, using imported hairs from Italy and glass eyeballs from Germany. While other wax museums showcase celebrity likenesses, the Musée Conti is devoted to the 300-year history of New Orleans (including a mandatory Haunted Dungeon).
More than 150 life-sized figures tell the story of the Big Easy, including Iberville and Bienville laying claim to the “Accidental City” in a swamp, Napoleon sitting in a bathtub arguing over the sale of Louisiana, the pirate Jean Lafitte, Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans, Marie Laveau surrounded by Voodoo dancers, a Mardi Gras Zulu King, and iconic musician Louis Armstrong.
Some visitors complain about the musty smell, poor lighting, and statues in need of a tune up. Musée Conti is, like other wax museums, hanging on by a thread. But for the cognoscenti, the state of disrepair is added appeal. The Dracula on display needs to bite into his victim soon—her 50-year-old wax head is about to fall off from age and inattention.
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