a history of the mannequin 1940-1960

Gems Studio - History part 4
Keith Gems and staff outside the Gems factory 1950s

Gems Studio - History part 1Gems Studio - History part 2Gems Studio - History part 3Gems Studio - History part 4Gems Studio - History part 5

The Gems business passed on from Julius Gems, to his son and in turn his grandchildren. During the 1940’s the business was run by the two Gems Brothers, Julius Albert and Leopold Frederick. With the war, times were hard, materials were scarce and when the war ended there was a 3 year waiting list for Gems figures. Leopold’s son Keith Gems took over the business in 1954 (when his father passed away). A trained architect, he saw great potential in the ailing business and oversaw the turnaround of the companies fortune with the opening of a chain of small wax museums across the world.

Television was in its infancy in the early 50’s and the public were more inclined to go out and visit attractions. Gems was involved in the opening of Louis Tussauds Wax Museum in Blackpool and subsequently another waxworks in Weston Super Mare and then Edinburgh. The new Wax Works were an immediate success and Gems Followed up with similar attractions in America. Josephine Tussaud consulted and became a board member for the company, which was named: “Josephine Tussauds – The London Wax Museum”. They opened in Florida, Niagara Falls, Victoria BC, Pheonix - Arizona, San Francisco, Colorado Springs and St Petersburg. The wax museums showed scenes from American history, alongside celebrities of the day. Further waxworks were opened with partners in Tokyo, Torremolenos, Copenhagen and Australia.