These sparkly ladies by Gregorio Marzan were probably influenced by the mask-making traditions of Puerto Rico, especially those associated with festival parades and processions. The artist was born in Vega Baja, west of San Juan, in the north-central region of the country, and immigrated to New York City in 1937. At the time of his arrival, following the pressures of the Great Depression, only small expatriate communities had been formed in East Harlem and in Brooklyn. Marzan found employment through the Works Progress Administration, first as a sewer worker and then in a toy factory. He often brought dolls and toys home for his children and grandchildren, and started "tinkering" with found objects to create his own toys. After retiring in 1971, Marzan turned to this activity full-time and created a whimsical body of sculpture using cellophane and metallic tapes, cardboard, papier-mâché, popsicle sticks, gift wrap paper, wire hangers, wigs, and aluminum foil. Marzan transformed these everyday materials into a glamorous and glittery world of striking portrait busts, fanciful birds and animals, ethnic interpretations of the Statue of Liberty, and models of the Empire State Building. These female busts are "dressed" in multi-lens reflective film typically used for products such as party bags and boxes.