Marie Tussaud (1761-1850 Anna Maria “Marie” Tussaud), better known as Madame Tussaud, after whom wax museums around the world are named, was a lucky French lady. As in fairy tales, Madame Tussaud had a difficult beginning: little Marie was born in December 1761 in the city of Strasbourg in the Alsace region of France. Her father, Joseph, was killed as a soldier in the Seven Years’ War, just two months before his daughter, who would become one of the most famous women in the world, was born. The mother of the girl who would later become the famous Madame, moved with little Marie to Switzerland, where she worked as a housekeeper for the doctor Dr. Philippe Curtius. Curtius, who was a father figure for Marie (she used to call him “Uncle”), was a sculptor and artist. He sculpted wax figures that helped him understand the anatomy of the human body. Dr. Curtius's works were later used as works of art.
From a young age, Marie was exposed to wax sculpture, and when the doctor moved to Paris, he opened a small wax museum, where he exhibited his sculptures, including full-size wax figures. Marie watched “Uncle” Curtius and decided to follow in his footsteps. She discovered a natural talent. Her closeness to Dr. Curtius gave her a wonderful opportunity to meet the celebrities of the time in his studio. For example, she was lucky enough to meet Benjamin Franklin, the philosopher and writer Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Later, she sculpted them all in wax.
From wax statues to death masks
Mary's fortunes have worsened and at the court of a king France There were those at Versailles who discovered her talent. In 1780 she was invited to teach sculpture to Madame Elisabeth, the younger sister of King Louis XVI. Marie moved to Versailles and, according to her diaries and memoirs, she was treated like a family member at the palace. She was privileged to witness all the private conversations between the king and his younger sister. However, apart from the documentation that Marie wrote, no further references can be found. When she broke French Revolution In 1789, Marie and her mother were arrested and put in the same prison cell as the one who would later become Napoleon's wife, Josephine. Marie, who was associated with the king's court, had her head shaved in prison and her neck almost met the guillotine blade. But Dr. Curtius, her adoptive father and artistic patron, saved her this time too. She was released from prison and had the privilege of meeting key figures whose names were associated with the revolution. French, including Robespierre and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Rumor has it that Marie was required to make death masks out of wax, and to do so she had to pick her way through piles of decapitated bodies, to locate the heads of decapitated royals, to make masks – which they waved in victory parades through the streets. In 1794, Dr. Curtius passed away and left Marie his entire collection of wax figures. A year later, she married François Tussaud, and the couple had two children: Joseph and François. Six years later, Marie moved to England with her eldest son Joseph, who was only four years old at the time. Because of the Napoleonic Wars, she could not return to France, and wandered around Britain with her huge collection of wax figures. They were later joined by their youngest son François. But she never saw her husband again.
Madame Tussauds is coming to London
In 1835, Marie Tussauds opened her first permanent waxwork exhibition on Baker Street in London. The exhibition was supposed to run for fifty years, but it became Madame Tussauds London, and it still stands today. The exhibition features wax figures sculpted by Marie Tussauds herself, including her own figure. Millions of people around the world visit Madame Tussauds in London, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Hollywood, San Francisco, Washington, Orlando, New York, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Shanghai, Delhi, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, and the list goes on.
The person who founded a museum in her name in London was able to witness her enormous success, both socially and economically, while still alive. Even when she could no longer continue to create wax figures due to her age, Madame Tussaud did not give up her daily presence at the permanent exhibition. Tussaud used to sit at the entrance desk of the museum in London and collect the entrance fees. She died on April 16, 1850, at the age of eighty-eight. Since her death, she has become the world's leading woman in wax sculpture.
In 1882, following the success of Madame Tussauds, an equally famous wax museum was established, but this time in Paris. Its name is Gervan Museum.
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