With millions of yearly visitors from all over the world still flocking to Madame Tussaud’s after more than 180 years in business, how did Anna Maria “Marie” Tussaud go from humble origins as the daughter of a physician’s housekeeper in Switzerland, to being a world-famous artist and founder of one of London’s most popular attractions?
Madame Tussaud’s stands today, a stone’s throw from some of the most luxurious boutique hotels London has to offer, in a magnificent building with a glittering glass dome; a landmark in the architecture of London. The history of the world-famous museum is as rich as the life of the woman who founded it.
Marie Tussaud began working with a Swiss sculptor who took her on as his apprentice when she was only 6 years old. By the age of 16 she was working in the French court, teaching the sister of Louis XVI the art of votive making. Clearly immensely talented and enterprising, she narrowly escaped the guillotine during the French revolution. As a royal sympathiser, she was seen as an enemy to those in power during the revolt, and yet was released from prison to make wax masks of those members of the royal court who had fallen victim to the revolution.
Attending Madame Tussaud’s today, looking at the glowing, smiling faces of Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lawrence and Harry Styles, it’s hard to believe the grizzly origins from which it sprang, but even after Tussaud had left the battles of the French Revolution behind her and established her famous museum just a short walk from Montcalm Hotel London on Baker Street in 1835, there were still more hardships to come.
In 1925 a fire ripped through the museum, destroying sculptures. Many more were destroyed during the London Blitz. In 1941, a bomb destroyed over 350 head moulds, and devastated a cinema which was part of the museum at the time. Luckily, some moulds were unharmed which meant that many of the statues on display could be saved. Despite the damages sustained in these events, there are still waxworks on display in Madame Tussaud’s that were made by Tussaud herself, as well as even older ones made by her tutor, Dr. Philippe Curtius as early as 1765, 70 years before the first museum was founded.
At just a 20-minute walk from Montcalm Hotel London, Madame Tussaud’s is a must-visit attraction for fans of anything from history, to pop culture, to the arts and everything in between. The attractions have changed a lot over the years and relocated to the magnificent building in which it stands today on Marylebone Rd, London. The latest displays continue to draw in visitors from around the globe including a Royal tea party, a chance to star in Hollywood blockbusters alongside your favourite stars, as well as the opportunity to strut your stuff on the catwalk with international supermodels. New wax works are unveiled often too, in line with popular culture, so even if you have been before, you’re sure to see something new on your next visit!
