The Art and Artistry of Madame Tussaud
- Parisian Niche
- Apr 16
- 5 min read
When you hear the name Madame Tussaud, you likely think of the very popular London wax museum (founded by the a forenamed herself in 1835). Therein, you can find wax replicas of everyone from the Beatles, to Pope John Paul II, the Dali Lama, Cristiano Ronaldo, James Bond, One Direction, Charlie Chaplin, Princess Diana, and even Madame Tussaud herself.
But there is more to the life of the unique and uniquely talented Madame Tussaud - so much more. Let's take a P'Niche peek to learn more...
Our Madame Tussaud, was properly named Marie (née Grosholtz) and born to humble circumstance, entering the world (Strasbourg France, to be precise) on December 01, 1761 to a widowed mother (Anne-Marie Walder Grosholtz).
To improve their near impoverished circumstances, Anne-Marie took a job with the renowned Dr. Philippe Curtius, moving to Bern, Switzerland. There, both mother and daughter worked as housemaids, though Marie would call Curtius "uncle."
He moved them back to Paris in 1765, where he used his skills as a was illustrator for anatomy to create the Cabinets de Portraits en Cire (that's wax portrait company to you and me).
In that same year Curtius created a wax figure of Madame du Barry, the longtime mistress of Louis XV.
Aptly titled "sleepy Beauty," this sculpture oozes luxury, with tinted wax work and shading that genuinely seems the subject's chest will rise and fall in the rhythmic breaths of slumber.
By this time, Marie was 16 and well studied under Curtius.
She was tasked with creating her first wax figure - that of Voltaire (French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist and historian - you know, just one of the guys)... and he loved to take his coffee at Le Procope!
This sculpture was followed by fellow Procope frequenter and Revolutionary, Ben Franklin as well as Jean-Jacques Rousseau. What - no Lafayette? She even was employed for 9 years at Versailles as art instructor to Élisabeth, sister of Louis XVI.
Not too shabby for a teenage girl in Revolutionary Paris!
Record Scratch!!
We've just stumbled into the storming of the Bastille and kicked off the French Revolution.
Due to Marie's many regal works, she was dubbed a royal sympathizer (gulp!) and arrested - head shaved in preparation for the guillotine and everything. Well, merde!
Not so fast!!
She was saved by Collot d'Herbois. Wait who? Well, Citoyen d'Herbois was a French actor, dramatist, essayist and revolutionary. Not only that - he served on the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror.
Let is be known that while he did save Marie from her close shave (I'll see myself out) with death, he did personally administer the execution of over 2000 citizens in the city of Lyon alone.
And why did he save her, you ask? Get ready. So that she could use her extraordinary skills to make death masks of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette (image shown), the Princesse de Lamaballe, Jean-Paul Marat, Maximilien Robespierre, among other. I mean, a girl has to make a living (and by that, I mean stay alive, right?!)
Her uncle, Curtius sadly died in 1794, at the height of the Terror. He did have loving forethought to leave Marie everything in his last will and testament.
And while Marie was tasked with the gruesome death mask (and whole body cast) task, for certain, she did manage to find love, marrying François Tussaud (a civil engineer).
No stranger to the ebbs and flows of life, Marie went on to have three children, sadly losing her daughter at birth, but able to raise two surviving sons, Joseph and François.
Taught well by Curtius, she used he survival skills and business acumen to take her show (and family) on the road...
And if you didn't think Madame Tussaud was interesting (and tough) enough already - get this... she singlehandedly procured a contract from Paul Philidor (a magic lantern and phantasmagoria expert - as one was) to display her works at the Lyceum Theatre in 1802, post Treaty of Amiens.
This was absolutely unheard of for a woman of the time.
Noteworthy: If you find yourselves in London these days, you'll note that the theatre currently showcases the musical "The Lion King."
While this move should have been a financial windfall (I mean, phantasmagoria, right?) sadly, the tickets were not selling, and in 1803, she took her masks and figures on the road, landing next in Edinburgh.
Guess who's back...
Heyyy, remember this guy and his bees?!
You guessed it, we've reached the time period of the Napoleonic Wars, which prevented Marie Tussaud from returning to her homeland of France.
Ever resourceful, Marie took her show all throughout the British Isles and beyond.
Interesting to note is that while her sons joined her on these illustrious adventures, her husband stayed behind in France and the two were never to set eyes on each other again.
After more than three decades of constant touring, Marie finally established her first permanent collection and exhibition, selecting London's Baker Street as the home of over 400 unique figures.
Some sculptures created by Marie herself do exist, but many were lost in a fire (although thankfully molds had been previously created and thus reproduced).
Just as photography was entering the mainstream, thus rendering wax figures much less newsworthy, Marie passed peacefully in her sleep in April 16, 1850 (aged 88), her son François had already taken over as chief artist, followed by his own son, Joseph , and then his son, John Theodore Tussaud. What a family legacy!
As we mentioned, the Sleepy Beauty is still on display in London and is the largest in the gallery. As a note, the smallest sculpture is Tinkerbell.
These days, Merlin Entertainments (under the Blackstone Group Umbrella) is the proud owner of Madame Tussauds Wax Museums.
These days, there are nearly 30 locations worldwide. If you are ever in NYC, the location here in Times Square is definitely worth a visit.
All locations maintain the strict standards of top craftsmanship. After all - the creation are time, labor and cost intensive, taking over 20 artisans months to complete just one piece (all this after hundreds of measurements, sketches and casts - not to mention sourcing the wigs and attire for the sculpture.
Marie would be proud...
While the Parisian Blog has just turned 3 years old, our Parisian Page Turners book club is actually now 5 years old (nearly 70 reads completed!) and this historical fiction book was one of the first we read together.
Let's be honest, the French Revolution an be an unending source of literature and intrigue (and trust me, we want to read them all).
However, unlike other French Revolutions books we have covered that describe the tumultuous times leading up to the guillotine, this book also covers a lot of what happened in the days after.
Marie Tussaud is an incredibly important (if unjustly understudied) character of the French Revolution. Don't believe my hype - grab a copy for yourself - or even better, come read with us! All are welcome...
What do you think P'Nichers - have you been to a Madame Tussaud museum or now adding it to your list? If you've been, what was your favorite sculpture? Let us know in the comments below et à bientôt!
Madame Tussaud was one of the best books about the French Revolution that I've read and I've read many.