executioner's daughter, she nearly ended his life on the guillotine.Woman rescued a unique talent - after learning about her skill to master wax figures, it pardoned the revolutionaries ...
future Madame Tussaud, born Marie Grosskholts, was born in Strasbourg in 1761.From childhood she was accustomed to the fact that others are trying to stay away from their family.This is not surprising: after all her father was a hereditary executioner.
Mother Mary, Anna, are not fueled tender feelings for his sullen husband, who, incidentally, was older than her nearly thirty years.It is in the light, her joy for many years was a very different man - a handsome young sculptor Philip Curtis.After another scandal Anna threw temper in the face of the hated wife, Marie was not his daughter, and Curtis.The executioner as in the performance of their duties, even the eyebrow does not lead.A little light, without saying a word, put her from her daughter on the street.That, along with the girl moved in with her lover.Soon after they were married.
The official website of the Paris wax museum this story much more smoothed the start:
«Her father was a soldier and participated in the Seven Years' War.He died two months before the birth of the girl did not see her.The widowed mother worked as a housekeeper in the home of Dr. Philip Curtis, and later married him. "
After a while they moved from Bern to Paris, where in 1770 Philip Curtis founded the Wax Museum.Unlike most of his colleagues in the shop, he did not live in misery, t. To. The supplier was the Court of His Majesty the King of France - cast from a wax image of the monarch and his many children and households.The workshop Curtis lepivshego the king, felled shaft Parisians hoping to immortalize in wax themselves and their loved ones.
Marie did not shine nor the beauty nor special elegance of manners, but it was energetic, inquisitive child, amazes everyone with his curiosity and versatile creative talents.After a few years of primary school girl began to help his father, who no longer cope with the flow of orders.Curtis taught her anatomy, under his leadership, it became the master the basics of modeling.Soon capable student produced his first wax figures: the statues of Voltaire and Franklin made seventeen Marie, adorn the museum until now.Simultaneously, talented girl made progress in drawing, sewing and modeling hairstyles.
her figure caused such interest in the French royal family that the young Mademoiselle Grosskholts invited to the court to teach artistic skills sister of Louis XVI, Madame Elizabeth.Marie spent nine years in the luxury of Versailles.From under her talented hands out more and more sculptures that never ceased to amaze courtiers.Life seemed beautiful and cloudless future - even more brilliant.
But the French Revolution broke out, and the court artist immediately got into the fatal lists of "accomplices of kings."The palace chambers were replaced by the camera of the Bastille, in which Marie, by the will of fate, turned to Josephine de Beauharnais - the future Empress and wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.They have hair was cut - the square everything was ready for execution.Both managed to escape, but each has its own story ...
As for Marie, she has not escaped to the guillotine, if not for her unique talent: having learned about her ability to master wax figures, revolutionaries released her in exchange for a commitment to make masks of the victims of the revolution.The young woman was destined to a difficult test: carve death masks of those with whom it is side by side for many years lived in the court, including masks beheaded Louis and Marie Antoinette.Not only that: she had found their severed heads to the cemetery among the many bloodied remains of those who fell on the guillotine.
One day Marie came to the unknown, and ordered to take all the necessary work has resulted in a strange house.At the top of the metal bath in the room cooled off the body of Marat, who was stabbed royalist Charlotte Corday.The guards of the revolution have not been able to lead the unfortunate woman, and Mary eagerly glares at her, to capture memory every detail of her appearance.Then she mechanically performed the work absorbed by the unexpected new idea: it is possible to create not just a figure, but the whole story and historical scenes!Soon there was a first - "Marat and Charlotte."
In 1794 Dr. Curtis died before his death bequeathed the entire collection of wax his 33-year-old daughter.Marie has inherited not only the collection but also his business.Soon after she married a French engineer Francois Tussaud.This family had three children - sons of Joseph Francois and daughter, who died in early childhood.
But the dream of a real family did not come true.Spouse without measure looked at the bottle and nights spent at the gaming table.Practically everything that earned Marie, he managed to lower cards or spend upheaval revelry.
Cases Madame Tussauds went perfectly - her name was at the hearing of the whole of Paris.Josephine de Beauharnais, now the empress, invited her to the Tuileries, to fashion a sculpture of the head of Napoleon ... Workshop artist filled with wax figures to failure.
«collection must see thousands of people!" - Repeated to herself her creator.
In 1802, after a drunken spree husband, she finally decided to leave him.Leaving the youngest son in the care of his mother and his elder Joseph and his collection went on a tour of the British Isles.
fate remains were presented by her nasty surprises.In 1804, after a tour of Ireland, the cargo ship, which was to take her figure in Liverpool, sank.After hearing this sad news, Madame Tussauds led not even eyebrow.The courageous woman started all over again!Fortunately molds that master, fortunately, never destroyed, it was in another boat.Marie took the money for the procurement of material, and then in the morning until late at night molded shapes, sewed costumes, hairstyles modeled.So she recreated the entire collection, which consisted at the time of several dozen pieces, and add to it new characters.The British do not forget the past, appreciate the art of Marie.Richard the Lionheart, Mary Stuart and Mary Tudor, Oliver Cromwell - just some of the figures created by Madame Tussauds in exile.This exhibition is truly restrained the British met with the children's delight in all the cities in the UK.
next season opens with new figures and scenes of Shakespeare and Walter Scott, Sir Nelson and the little lady - the future Queen Victoria ... In the eyes of his contemporaries in the frozen wax appeared as history.
only thirty three years of wandering collection of Madame Tussaud's finally found a permanent home.Over the arrangement of the museum, she worked until his last hours, and passed away at the age of 89 years.
Her case was continued descendants: in 1884, Marie's grandson, Joseph Randall Tussauds wax figures placed in a museum near the famous Baker Street, where they now are.Since then the collection has kept pace with the life of society, capturing both good and bad, and the magnificent and grotesque ...
matter that Marie began in the eighteenth century, in the twenty-first become a huge entertainment empire.Rhode Tussauds thriving, continue the work of his great-great grandmother, opening the museum its name in different countries and cities.
Photo source: swissworld.org
Articles Source: greatwomen.com.ua
