Marie Tussaud: The French Revolution

The French Revolution was a time of violence, chaos, and war. Through it all, one machine of destruction brought fear to almost every human being in France: the guillotine. Despite the bloodshed brought about by this large contraption, there is one person in particular whom the guillotine benefitted by supplying her with limitless heads and bodies. By using these severed body parts, Marie Tussaud created molds of the bodies of those taken by the relentless guillotine and put them on display in her personal wax museum. By recreating the bodies of famous leaders killed through the French Revolution, Marie allowed the public to get a close-up and personal view into the lives of those who were otherwise too famous or too wealthy to be a part of the general population. Madame Marie Tussaud's museum enhanced the general public's perception of the French Revolution by bringing the victims and perpetrators of war back to life for the examination, ridicule, and disgust of the people. Madame Tussaud was born Anna Maria Grosholtz in Strasbourg, France. Marie’s father died before she was born, so she was raised by her mother and uncle. Marie’s uncle, Dr. Philippe Curtius, began wax modelling as a hobby, but after opening a wax museum, began teaching the young Marie his trade. Quickly, she realized she had quite a talent in wax modeling and began displaying her work in her uncle’s museum (Kuhlman). When Marie was twenty one, King Louis XVI’s sister Elizabeth visited Dr. Curtius’ salon, and upon seeing Marie’s work, asked her to live with her in Versailles and become her private art tutor (Martin). Marie willingly agreed, and her art career had officially begun. What she didn’t know was how her artistic path would take a dramatic turn at the start of the war. Once the French Revolution began to spread throughout France, Marie took as many opportunities as she could to expand her collection of wax figures and make business in her uncle’s museums. While some say she was forced to model the heads of those lost to the relentless guillotine due to it being such a disturbing task, Marie’s name began to rise as news of her and …show more content…
Marie eventually married, had children, moved to London along with her museum, and died, but her art and their influence on society remained. Through the years, many flocked to her wax museums to catch a glimpse of the perpetrators of the French Revolution, the family of the former monarchs of France, or the life-like replicas of those who took a stand for their country. Marie Tussaud’s vision spread as her family opened more museums throughout Europe, America, and Asia (“Our History”). They continue, to this day, to create and display models of famous celebrities and political figures, offering visitors a chance to truly take in the essence of those whom they would never be able to get close to in person. Figures in Madame Tussaud’s are modeled to be as life-like as possible and appear as if they could blink and start breathing as if they were the person whom they were modeled after. Even the figures in the “Chamber of Horrors,” created during the French Revolution, appeared as though their heads were taken straight from the guillotine. Marie’s work to this day continues to offer its visitors a unique, gruesome, and thrilling way to visit influential figures from the past and