Marie Tussaud
Marie Tussaud , born Marie Grosholtz (February 1st 1761 with Strasbourg - April 16th 1850 with London), is creative Musée of wax Mrs Tussauds which it opened with London at the 74 years age.
Mrs Tussaud lived in a doctor-sculptor Suisse who taught him art to model wax. Endowed and impassioned, it very early carried out effigies of personalities of the time, like Voltaire or Benjamin Franklin, before being committed at the court of Versailles where it created the portraits of Louis XVI and its family. The Révolution enabled him to widen its talents with the creation of death masks celebrities carried out. When it was exiled in Great Britain, its first effigies were those of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.
Biography
Marie Grosholtz (sometimes written Grossholtz or Grossholz ) was born with Strasbourg into 1761 from a father soldier Joseph Grosholtz, fallen during the Guerre Seven Years two months before the birth from Marie. His/her mother Anne Made had to give up the family residence to become cleaning lady to Bern in the doctor Philippe Curtius (1741 - 1794). This last was a physicist, doctor and as a sculptor on wax, technique as he used mainly to illustrate the Anatomie. It launched out later in the portraits. The abscence of his/her father and his presence in the house of Doctor Curtius made that Marie called it her uncle.
In 1765, Curtius moves with Paris to assemble a cabinet of wax portrait there and leaves Marie and her mother to Bern. Curtius carries out a portrait of Madam of Barry, the mistress of Louis XV. This portrait is the oldest still exposed model.
In 1767, Curtius makes come Marie and her mother to Paris. In 1770, Curtius exposes for the first time its achievements out of wax and the exposure attracts an important crowd. The exposure is moved in the Palais Royal in 1776. Curtius learned with Marie art from modelling out of wax, makes it work for him and shows an unquestionable talent. Its first realization is the face of François Marie Arouet (known as Voltaire), in 1777. It will carry out also that of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in 1778 and at the same time the portrait Benjamin Franklin.
In 1782, Curtius opens a second place of exposure on the Boulevard of the Temple, the Caverne of the Large Robbers, a precursor of the Room of the horrors.
A little later Paris is taken in the tumults of the French revolution. Marie takes part in it in her manner. She at that time carries out most of these more famous portraits of which Napoleon and Robespierre. However it was in very good term with the royalty and in particular of 1870 to 1798, it taught arts with the sister of Louis XVI. Its presence if was appreciated that it was invited to live with Versailles.
The July 12th 1789, the heads of Necker and Louis Philippe II, duke of Orleans carried out by Curtius are carried to the front of a revolutionary procession two days before the Revolution.
Marie Tussaud is stopped by the revolutionists on suspicion of royalist sympathies. She will wait to pass to Guillotine in the same cell of prison as Joséphine de Beauharnais. Whereas its head was already shaven for its execution, it was pardoned because of its talents in sculpture (out of wax primarily) and was employed to carry out death masks for the victims of the guillotine, some were of her friends. It carried out the masks of Marie Antoinette, Marat, and Robespierre.
In 1794, to the death of Curtius, this last bequeaths its collection of wax works to Marie. She Marie the following year with François Tussaud and have thereafter two children, Joseph (1798-) and François.
In 1802, following the Peace of fine Amiens putting at the Second coalition, Marie goes to London with his/her Joseph oldest son, 4 years old, to present its collection of portraits. But during its tour where it will present its collection through the Great Britain and the Ireland, the Third coalition gives rise to a war and it will result from it that Marie will not be able to join the France.
In 1822, probably during slackening of the tensions had with the Embassy of Chateaubriant to London (April 2nd at September 8th), the second wire of Marie, François joined his mother.
In 1835, Marie installs her first permanent exposure in Baker Street, named Baker Street Bazaar ).
In 1838, 77 years old, it writes its memories and realizes in 1842, one autoprotrait still visible with the entry of the museum which contains still certain sculptures carried out by Marie itself.
In 1850, Marie dies in her residence of London during her sleep at the 88 years age. A funeral plate in the honor of " Mrs Marie Tussaud" is located on the right-sided of the nave of the church Saint Mary located Cadogan Street at London and mentions dated April 15th, 1850 for its death.
The wax museum of Mrs Tussaud became gradually an impossible to circumvent tourist place of London and extended its activities with the cration of museums to Amsterdam, HongKong (Victoria Peak), Las Vegas, Copenhagen and New York.
The museum and the Groupe Tussaud became the March 6th 2007 the property of Merlin Entertainments.
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