Marie Tussaud | |
|---|---|
 Madame Tussaud "at the age of 42, when she left France for England". Portrait study byJohn Theodore Tussaud.[1] | |
| Born | Anna Maria Grosholtz 1 December 1761 Strasbourg, France |
| Died | 16 April 1850 (aged 88) London, England |
| Known for | Wax modelling |
| Notable work | Madame Tussauds |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 (one stillborn) |
Anna Maria "Marie"Tussaud (French pronunciation:[maʁityso]; néeGrosholtz; 1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850), commonly known asMadame Tussaud, was aFrench artist known for herwax sculptures andMadame Tussauds, thewax museum she founded in London.
Marie Tussaud was born on 1 December 1761 in Strasbourg, France.[2] Her father, Joseph Grosholtz, was killed in theSeven Years' War just two months before Marie was born. When she was six years old, her mother, Anne-Marie Walder,[3] took her to Bern, Switzerland. There the family moved into the home of local doctorPhilippe Curtius (1741–1794), for whom Anne-Marie acted as housekeeper.[4]
Curtius, whom Marie would call her uncle, was skilled in wax modeling. He initially used this talent to illustrate anatomy, but he later used it for portraits. He moved to Paris in 1765 to establish aCabinet de Portraits En Cire (Wax portraiture firm).[3] In that year, he made a waxwork ofLouis XV's last mistress,Madame du Barry, a casting that is the oldest waxwork currently on display. A year later, Tussaud and her mother joined Curtius in Paris. The first exhibition of Curtius' waxworks was shown in 1770 and attracted a large crowd. In 1776, the exhibition was moved to thePalais Royal and, in 1782, Curtius opened a second exhibit, the Caverne des Grands Voleurs (Cavern of the Grand Thieves), a precursor to Tussaud'sChamber of Horrors, onBoulevard du Temple.[5]
Curtius taught Tussaud the art of wax modelling. She showed talent for the technique and began working for him as an artist. In 1777, she created her first wax figure, that ofVoltaire.[6] From 1780 until the Revolution in 1789, Tussaud created many of her most famous portraits of celebrities such as those of philosopherJean-Jacques Rousseau,Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire.[7] During this period her memoirs claim she became employed to teachvotive making toÉlisabeth, the sister ofLouis XVI. In her memoirs, she admitted to be privy to private conversations between the princess and her brother and members of his court. She also claimed that members of the royal family were so pleased with her work that she was invited to live atVersailles for nine years,[8] although no contemporary evidence exists to confirm her accounts.[9]
On 12 July 1789, wax heads ofJacques Necker and theduc d'Orléans made by Curtius were carried in a protest march two days before the attack on the Bastille.[7]
Tussaud was perceived as a royal sympathiser;[9] in theReign of Terror she was arrested, along withJoséphine de Beauharnais, and her head was shaved in preparation for her execution byguillotine. She said she was released thanks toCollot d'Herbois' support for Curtius and his household.[3] Tussaud said she then was employed to makedeath masks and whole body casts of the revolution's famous victims, includingLouis XVI,Marie Antoinette,Princesse de Lamballe,Jean-Paul Marat,[7] andMaximilien Robespierre.[9]
When Curtius died in 1794, he left his collection of wax works to Tussaud. In 1795, she married François Tussaud, a civil engineer. The couple had three children: a daughter who died after birth and two sons, Joseph and François.[8]
In 1802, after theTreaty of Amiens, Tussaud went to London with her son Joseph, then four years old, to present her collection of portraits. She had accepted an invitation fromPaul Philidor, amagic lantern andphantasmagoria pioneer, to exhibit her work alongside his show at theLyceum Theatre. She did not fare particularly well financially, and left for Edinburgh in 1803.[10]
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As a result of theNapoleonic Wars, Tussaud was unable to return to France so she travelled with her collection throughout the British Isles. In 1822, she reunited with her son François, who joined her in the family business. Her husband remained in France and the two never saw each other again.[9] In November 1825, her touring exhibition was in theWisbech Georgian theatre (now theAngles Theatre), having already been atYarmouth,Norwich,King's Lynn andBury St Edmunds. Entrance was 1s.[11] In 1835, after 33 years touring Britain, she established her first permanent exhibition inBaker Street, on the upper floor of the "Baker Street Bazaar".[12] In 1838, she wrote her memoirs. In 1842, she made a self-portrait which is now on display at the entrance of her museum. Some of the sculptures done by Tussaud herself still exist.
She died in her sleep in London on 16 April 1850 at the age of 88. There is a memorial tablet to Madame Marie Tussaud on the right side of the nave ofSt. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Cadogan Street, London.[13]
Upon Marie Tussaud's retirement, her son François (or Francis) became chief artist for the Exhibition. He was succeeded by his son Joseph, who was succeeded by his sonJohn Theodore Tussaud.[14]
Madame Tussaud's wax museum has now grown to become one of the major tourist attractions in London and has expanded with branches in Amsterdam, Istanbul, Beijing, Bangkok, Berlin, Blackpool, Sydney, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chongqing, Shanghai, New York City, Orlando, Nashville, Hollywood, Singapore, Tokyo, Budapest, Vienna, Washington D.C., New Delhi and Dubai. As of 2019, the newest museum is in Prague. The current owner isMerlin Entertainments,[6] a company owned byBlackstone Group.
Tussaud is a supporting character in the 1997musicalThe Scarlet Pimpernel. The character was portrayed by Elizabeth Ward Land in the originalBroadway cast and the 2000 US National Tour.[15]
Tussaud was featured as a minor character and quest giver in the 2014 video gameAssassin's Creed Unity, which takes place during the French Revolution. She's also the basis for the character Esmeralda Tusspells inThe Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve.
She is one of the main characters in the bookFaces of the Dead bySuzanne Weyn.Edward Carey's 2018 novelLittle is a novelization of her work and life.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
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