Sylvester Z. Poli

Sylvester Zefferino Poli (December 31, 1858 – May 31, 1937) was an Italian migrant to the USA who became a theatre magnate during the late 1800s and early decades of the 20th century. By 1916 he controlled 30 individual theatres, probably more than anyone else in the world at that time, establishing himself throughout the Northeastern United States. Starting with a career in wax sculpting, he quickly moved on to dime museums, curios, variety shows, and ultimately vaudeville theatres and movie palaces.

Born in the village of Piano di Coreglia, a suburb of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy on New Year's Eve, 1858, his father was a church organist, and his mother made cakes and candies to sell. He began to show a talent for sketching and modeling at a young age, which his mother encouraged. During the Franco-Prussian War, the Poli's gave refuge to the family of noted French sculptor, and intimate friend of Napoleon, M. Dublex. Sylvester left his home at the young age of 13 to accompany Dublex back to Paris, where he would take on an apprenticeship to learn the art of modeling in clay and wax. He returned to Italy for 32 months to complete his military obligation, then went back to France to resume his studies and accept employment with the Musee Grevin in Paris. He worked with the gallery's historical wax collection becoming skilled at modeling from sketches and photographs. He modeled kings, queens, presidents, and also constructed groups like the Chambor of Horrors, "Fulton's Invention of the Steamboat", and Life of Christ.

After several years of service with the Musee Grevin in Paris, Poli went to America in September 1881, and was employed by the Eden Musee in New York. He met his lifelong partner and wife, Rosa Leverone, there. They were married on August 25, 1885. In 1886, Poli went to work for the Egyptian Museum in Philadelphia as chief modeler. While seven anarchists were under sentence of death for participation in the Haymarket Riots in Chicago, Poli secured permission from the authorities, and families of the prisoners, to reproduce them in wax using their real clothes. He opened a store show with these figures, and then took to the road giving exhibitions in various cities. In 1888, he made the decision to open a permanent museum.

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