Marie Tussaud

Madame Tussaud. Photograph after a drawing attributed to Fra Wellcome V0028808

Madame Tussaud affiche 1835

Madame Marie Tussaud (4644556910)

Tussaud-Madame-Tussauds-London

Marie Tussaud (1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850) was a French artist known for her wax sculptures and the founder of the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London. Born in Strasbourg, France, as Marie Grosholtz, she learned the art of wax modeling from Dr. Philippe Curtius, a physician and wax sculptor who took her in after the death of her father.

Early Life

Marie Grosholtz was born in 1761 in Strasbourg. Her father, a soldier, died two months before she was born. Her mother, Anne-Marie Walder, took her to Bern, Switzerland, where Philippe Curtius, employed her mother as a housekeeper. Curtius was skilled in wax modeling and used his talent to create anatomical models for medical purposes. Under his guidance, Marie began to learn the art of wax modeling at a young age.

Career

In 1777, Curtius moved to Paris to establish a cabinet of wax portraits, and Marie followed him shortly after. She showed great talent and soon began making portraits of famous figures of the time. During the French Revolution, she was employed to make death masks of the revolution's victims, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Marat, and Robespierre.

In 1794, following Curtius's death, Marie inherited his collection and continued to expand it, creating wax models of notable individuals and scenes from the revolution. In 1802, she moved to London to exhibit her collection, traveling across Britain and Ireland. The exhibition was not only a showcase of her wax figures but also served as a traveling history museum, depicting scenes and characters from the French Revolution and other significant historical events.

Madame Tussauds

In 1835, Marie Tussaud established a permanent exhibition in the Baker Street Bazaar in London, which laid the foundation for the Madame Tussauds wax museum. The museum became famous for its Chamber of Horrors, which included figures of the French Revolution and later, criminals and murderers from British history.

Legacy

Marie Tussaud's legacy lives on through the Madame Tussauds museums, which have expanded globally. Her work revolutionized the way people interact with history and celebrity, making her one of the most famous wax sculptors in history. She died in London in 1850 but left behind a lasting legacy that continues to attract millions of visitors to Madame Tussauds museums around the world.

See Also

• Wax sculpture
• Madame Tussauds
• French Revolution