Vice President Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, first Black person and first Asian American to hold that office. That’s why she will also be the first vice president to be honored by Madame Tussauds wax museum in New York City. 

The museum traditionally creates a wax figure for presidents, but they decided to give Harris “an honor that has never-before been extended to a vice president,” according to a news release. 

“We’re honored to create a figure for Vice President Harris and reflect this significant moment in U.S. history for guests inside Madame Tussauds New York,” said Brittany Williams, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, when the announcement was made just before Harris and President Joe Biden marked their first 100 days in office. 

Traditionally, the museum creates a wax figure for presidents, but they decided to give Harris “an honor that has never-before been extended to a vice president,” Madame Tussauds said.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

The museum shared images of both Harris’ and Mr. Biden’s figures as they are being made. “The clay heads were created by a team of studio artists based in London and represent meticulous detail captured by researching hundreds of images to achieve an exact likeness of the famous U.S. leader’s faces,” Madam Tussauds said. 

The heads took six weeks to create and the full figures will likely take four to six months to complete. The figures will wear outfits that replicate those worn by the president and vice president during their inauguration ceremony.

Christopher John Rogers, who designed Harris’ now-iconic purple coat and dress worn at the inauguration, will also create a custom outfit for the museum. 

The figures are set to be unveiled later this year in an “Oval Office” exhibit at the museum. 

Harris continued to make history this week alongside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, when the two women flanked the president on the dais of the House Chamber as he delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. According to protocol, Vice President Kamala Harris called the proceedings to order and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally introduced Mr. Biden to Congress as president for the first time.

The heads took six weeks to create and the full figures will likely take four to six months to complete. The figures will wear outfits that replicate those worn by the president and vice president during their inauguration ceremony.

Madame Tussauds

Mr. Biden acknowledged the historic moment after he introduced “Madam Speaker” and “Madam Vice President.”

“No president has ever said those words from this podium, and it’s about time,” Mr. Biden said.