Marie Tussaud
Marie Tussaud, born Anna Maria Grosholtz (1 December 1761 – 16 April 1850), was a French artist who became known for her wax sculptures and Madame Tussauds, the wax museum that she founded in London.
Biography
Early career
Born in Strasbourg after the death of her father, Tussaud grew up with her mother, with whom she worked as a housekeeper for Dr. Philippe Curtius. Curtius was a Swiss physician and anatomist skilled in modelling body parts from wax. Tussaud became his pupil and learned how to sculpt, moving with him to Paris.
In 1776, their exhibition of portraits attracted large crowds who were impressed at the realism of the figures. A year later, Tussaud made her first wax figures, depicting Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. She also made a figure of Benjamin Franklin, who served as the American ambassador to France at the time. Employed by Louis XVI to teach drawing and modelling to the king's sister, Tussaud moved to Versailles and established relations with the royal court. She also received the attention of the commoner Jean Lessard, only to spurn him.
The French Revolution
After the French Revolution broke out, the monarchy fell and Tussaud's ties with the royal court put her in a dangerous position. She tasked Arno Dorian with bringing her severed heads for her wax sculptures.
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