Madame Tussaud
History
Marie Grosholz, burned at 7 December 1761, in Strasburg, has founded the wax museum Madame Tussauds.
Her mothers employer, Mr. Philippe Curtius has Marie learned the art of wax modelling. But this wasn't his job, no, he was a doctor. And his hobby was collection some wax figures.
The first person, who Marie had copy in wax by herself was the famous author and philosopher Francois-Marie Arouet Voltaire.
In 1794 Marie had inherits Curtius's collection of wax figures.
One year later she married François Tussaud, an engineer. But she had leaves him eight years later to bring the collection on a tour of the British Isles.
1835 Madame Tussaud curb into a permanent home in the Bazaar, Baker Street in London.
In 1850 Marie dies.
It gives also a wax Museum in Denmark, Copenhagen, but this called "Scandinavian Panoptikon" this was founded in 1885 from Bernhard Olsen, the first director of Tivoli. Tivoli is a leisure park.
The making of a wax figure
It takes six months, hundreds precise of measurements, 2,400 lbs of wax and $45,000 to make one of Madame Tussaud's wax portraits:
After an exact research and study the subject's head is modelled in clay.
A pice imprint is made from plaster, then clear away from the clay.
The imprint is clear away from the wax, section for section. Glass eyes are fitted and human hair inserted strand by strand.
A base colour is applied, followed by final tinting process reproducing the many fine variations found in a face
The body and limbs are made from fibreglass, mounted with the head and the hands and suitable costumed; it is ready to be placed in the museum.
Madame Tussaud today.
Today Madame Tussaud is very well-known. It has been visited by over 200 million visitors since it began 200 years ago. Currently, over 2.5 million people a year visit Madame Tussaud's, to see the celebrities of all types, from sports heroes like Muhammad Ali to Hollywood celebrities like Marilyn Monroe to models like Naomi Campbell and politicians like Bill Clinton.
The good, the bad and the ugly are all there.
Today you can see also the original products from the French Revolution, with Marie had modelling by herself.
Now there are five Madame Tussauds. In London, Amsterdam, New York, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.
There is also a planetarium and a camber of horror in London, witch are located on Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LR.
The chamber of horrors begins 500 years of crime and punishment. To make it more real, there are some visual effects and it's playing some authentic sound.
My impression
Last summer, I was visited Madame Tussauds with a friend. It was very amazing, because it had so many visitors, so sometimes we weren't sure if it was a real person or a wax figure.
It was funny but also interesting to see famous peoples from earlier, like Albert Einstein or Napoleon Bonaparte.
I hope you find time to visit Madame Tussaud. I can advised it.
Thanks for your attention.
