ABSTRACT
Today the name of Madame Tussaud is commonly associated with the creation and exhibition of lifelike wax figures, but in fact she was preceded in this medium by other women artists, including the early American sculptor Patience Wright. Wright left the colonies for the greater artistic opportunities available in London in 1772, where her wax figures consistently astonished viewers with their verisimilitude. The mythologization of Patience Wright culminates in an exceptional comparison to two figures from ancient Greek mythology, Prometheus and Pallas Athena, associated with sculpture and wisdom, respectively. In addition, no physical description of the artist is provided; perhaps the author felt there was little need given that the illustration he provided for the life story was said to be an "exact likeness". Instead, the biographer focuses on Wright's talent and character. Given the biographer's strong endorsement of a controversial American figure such as Wright, and his evident republican leanings, anonymity was undoubtedly a useful protective measure.
