Anne-Marie “Marie” Tussaud was a French artist who became known for her wax sculptures. She is the founder of Madame Tussauds, the wax museum in London.
Tussaud was raised by her mother Anne in Bern, Switzerland. She worked as a housekeeper for Dr. Philippe Curtius, whom Tussaud referred to as ‘Uncle’. Curtius was a physician and a wax sculptor who had begun making anatomical models used in medical school classes but had a secret sideline creating erotic tableaux, or staged scenes, for private clients.
Curtius moved to Paris to create a museum of wax portraits, one of which was a waxwork of Louis XV’s last mistress, Madame du Barry which is the oldest work currently on display. Tussaud and her mother later joined him and Tussaud became his assistant, a job that allowed her to meet many leading French aristocrats and intellectuals – she modelled both Voltaire and Rousseau from life. Curtius was a success and divided his waxworks into two separate venues. The Palais Royal housed tableaux of the French royal family and the Caverne des Grands Voleurs, or Cavern of the Grand Thieves which showcased famous villains.
In 1789 the French Revolution began, Tussaud was sentenced to die by guillotine for being suspected as a royalist sympathizer but was saved after they discovered that she was a skilled wax modeller. Tussaud was tasked with creating death masks of the most famous victims of the guillotine including Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette along with many of her uncle’s friends and dinner guests. Her death masks were held up as revolutionary flags and paraded through the streets of Paris.
Tussaud married François Tussaud in 1795 and had two sons but the marriage failed and in 1802 she travelled to England without him. She spent 33 years successfully touring the country with her waxworks before settling in London, on the corner of Baker Street and Portman Square. The museum featured tableaux of famous historical events, such as coronations and peace treaties. Tussaud staffed the cash table personally until her death.