Museum Madame

Tussaud

Marie Tussaud (1761-1850) was born in Strasbourg, France,

under the name of Marie Grosholtz. After her father's death in 1761
she moved with her mother to Paris, where she learned the fine art
of sculpting from her mother's employer, a physician skilled in the art
of wax modeling. The doctor, Philippe Curtius, was one of the first to
display wax models, opening an exhibition in 1776 called 'The Cavern
of the Great Thieves.
Young Marie made her first sculpture at the tender age of
sixteen, fashioning a likeness of French enlightenment writer,
Franois Voltaire. Word of her talent spread and reached the royal
family, who hired Marie as an art tutor.
Her relation with the royal family caused her to be thrown
in jail when the monarchy was toppled during the French Revolution.
To show her allegiance to the new regime, she was forced to search
for severed heads in the piles of dead bodies so she could make
death masks of those executed by the guillotine.

In 1770, Dr. Curtius opened a museum featuring life-size wax

figures that immediately became popular among Parisians and visiting
royalty.
In 1778, Marie had enough experience to create a wax
portrait of the French writer, Voltaire. Two years later, she was
appointed art tutor to Madame Elisabeth, the sister of Louis XVI,
and lived at the magnificent Palace of Versailles for the next nine
years.
In 1789, at the request of Dr. Curtius, Marie returned to Paris.
Dr. Curtius was involved with the revolutionary movement,
entertaining its leaders at his house and participating in the storming
of the Bastille. Once the French Revolution erupted, Marie was
commanded by the regime to make death masks of many prominent
figures such as King Louis XVI and his wife, Queen Marie Antoinette.
She had the horrid task of searching through piles of dead bodies to
recover heads, many of them victims of the guillotine.
Dr. Curtius exhibition continued to flourish as people flocked to
see the likenesses of the men and women whose ruthless
determination for social and political change reshaped their lives. In
1794, Dr. Curtius died and Marie solely inherited his exhibition. A
year later, she married Francois Tussaud, a civil engineer, and by
1800, she had given birth to a daughter, who laterdied, and two sons,
Joseph and Francis. During

THE LIFE OF MADAME MARIE TUSSAUD

the Napoleonic Wars, France was in a state of turmoil and visitors to

the attraction decreased. Concerned with her future success and the
countrys economic decline, Madame Tussaud moved to England
without her husband in 1802. Taking her collection, she crossed the
English Channel with her elder son Joseph and was later joined by
Francis. She never returned to Paris, nor did she see her husband
again.
During the next 33 years, Madame Tussaud toured every major city
in Britain with her collection. By 1835, tired of traveling, she
established a site in London, not far from the present exhibition on
Baker Street. Her last work was a self-portrait, created eight years
before she died in 1850 at age 89. By then, her name was as famous
as her exhibition. She left her collection to her two sons, who, with
her grandchildren, continued the business. Today, The Merlin
Entertainments Group operates the attraction and ensures that the
spirit, artistry and vision of Madame Tussaud live on.
For more than 200 years, Madame Tussauds has been entertaining
and educating millions of people with its signature wax figures.
Madame Tussauds has locations in London, Amsterdam, Hong Kong,
Las Vegas, New York, Shanghai, and Washington D.C. Madame
Tussauds welcomes its 8th attraction in Berlin in the Summer of
2008 and its 9th attraction in Hollywood in Spring 2009.
THE FIGURE-MAKING PROCESS AT THE MADAME
TUSSAUDS STUDIOS
Each year Madame Tussauds Studios make approximately 40 to 50
figures. When large projects are in progress, this can be raised to
over 100 figures and all the departments have to be enlarged
accordingly. The Studios supply figures to all Madame Tussauds
around the world, with London launching approximately 10-12 each
year.

TEETH, EYES AND HAIR;

If the portrait is to have an open mouth expression, an impression of
the teeth is taken. From a silicon mould, the impression is then cast
into dental acrylic. Teeth shades and colour vary from top to bottom
and from tooth to tooth, so each tooth is processed and coloured
individually - having compared them to a colour match taken at the
sitting. The teeth are then polished and set in the pink plate.
When artists are unable to take teeth impressions, they compare
the sizes on detailed photographs of the subject, thus obtaining vital
information to be able to make the teeth.
COLOURING
Wax shares a quality with human skin - it is translucent, allowing
light to pass through it in the same manner that skin does, giving it
that glowing quality. Colour is applied to the wax skin using oil paints.
The paint is stippled on - built up in layers to create realistic skin
colour and texture. Because the paint is oil-based, when the head is
being maintained it can be sponged in water without the colour
washing out.
WARDROBE
Wax shares a quality with human skin - it is translucent, allowing light
to pass through it in the same manne that skin does, giving it that
glowing quality. Colour is applied to the wax skin using oil paints. The
paint is stippled on - built up in layers to create realistic skin colour
and texture. Because the paint is oil-based, when the head is being
maintained it can be sponged in water without the colour washing out.
THE FINAL FIGURE
When ready all the body parts are carefully fitted together and the
figure is fully dressed. All the departments work together to ensure
that the figure looks as it was intended, and any final adjustments

are made. The figure is then photographed so that we always have a

record of how it should look, for maintenance purposes.
Tickets price*
Visit 3 London Attractions
The more you see, the more you save!
From:48 Adult
(16+)
Combine your Madame Tussauds ticket with top London
attractions such as the Coca-Cola London Eye, SEA LIFE London
Aquarium, The London Dungeon or Shrek's Adventure! London
Tickets valid for 30 days from your visit to Madame Tussauds
Visit 2 London Attractions
Our most popular ticket!
From:39 Adult
(16+)
Combine your Madame Tussauds ticket with top London
attractions such as the Coca-Cola London Eye, SEA LIFE London
Aquarium, The London Dungeon or Shrek's Adventure! London
Tickets valid for 30 days from your visit to Madame Tussauds
Visit 4 London Attractions
An action-packed day out in London!
From:55 Adult
(16+)
Combine your Madame Tussauds ticket with top London
attractions such as the Coca-Cola London Eye, SEA LIFE London
Aquarium, The London Dungeon or Shrek's Adventure! London

 Tickets valid for 30 days from your visit to Madame Tussauds

PROGRAMS*
Madame tussaud is open every day of year from 9:30 am until
5:30 pm. The program is often extended when it is busy during
the summer (last entry is at 6:00 pm)
PICTURES WITH THE STATUES