Madame Tussauds

From ArticleWorld

Madame Tussauds is the popular waxwork museum, depicting the rich and famous in wax sculptures. The original Madame Tussauds is based in London and was established by originator Mary Tussaud, today there are museums world wide operating under the same famous name, these can be found in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Amsterdam and New York.

Education

Madame Tussaud was born Marie Grosholtz in Strasbourg, France in 1761. Here she worked as a housemaid for famous French physician and wax sculptor Dr. Phillipe Curtius. Marie was taught by Curtius the basic art of wax modelling, whilst she worked for him. Curtius began to do wax sculptures of famous in 1765 when he created a reproduction of Louis XV’s mistress Marie Jean du Barry. He opened his first exhibition in 1770, which proved to be highly popular, then in 1776 it was moved to the far larger Palais Royal. In 1782 Curtius then decided to create what he would call the “Caverne des Grands Voleurs” at a second location, this was later to become the Chamber of Horrors in the modern day Tussauds exhibits.

Tussauds Career

Tussaud began her career in 1777 when she created her first wax sculpture of Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire. During this period she would also create pieces depicting other famous faces of the day including philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and politician Benjamin Franklin. Her career took on a rather more morbid tone during the French revolution when her skills were employed to make death masks for the decapitated victims of the guillotine. Tussaud inherited the collection of Curtius after his death in 1794, and with this and her own group of sculptures she moved to England in 1802 no doubt scarred by her experiences of the French Revolution. Exiled in Britain during the Franco-English war, Tussaud began touring the British Isles with her collection of wax personalities and soon grew a popular following. Her first permanent exhibition was set up in London’s Baker Street 1835.

A Modern Madame Tussauds

From these beginnings grew a hugely popular tourist attraction. With it’s gory ‘Chamber of Horrors’ and famous faces of the age including war heroes like Lord Nelson and literary figures like Sir Walter Scott, Madame Tussauds set the precedent for it’s modern day incarnations. The London exhibition was moved to its current location in 1884 and to this day Mary Tussaud stands at the entrance to her creation, in the form of her own personal wax self-portrait. Now incorporating the London Planetarium, Madame Tussauds remains a major tourist destination for visitors from all over the world.