Figure of the Day: Robert Loraine, 1921

Wax and Plaster Figure of Robert Loraine
Agatha Walker, 1921
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Made in 1921 by Agatha Walker, this plaster figure is covered in wax and is one of several which the artist made of London stage actors and actresses in character. This piece depicts Robert Loraine (1876-1935)—a successful stage actor with 30 years experience as well as a renowned aviator who made famously executed the first flight across the Irish Sea in 1910. This wax figure shows Loraine as “Mirabell” in the drama, “The Way of the World.” 


Sculptor Agatha Walker sought to revive the very-English Nineteenth Century tradition of creating ceramic and porcelain figurines of celebrities. Walker always modeled from life in plaster and, then, coated the figure with a fine layer of wax which was then colored. In 1931 Agatha Walker's wax figures were exhibited at the Fine Art Society.