The most famous wax museum is located in London, or rather, the main exposition is located in the capital of England , and numerous branches are scattered around the globe. Wax masterpieces are made by more than 150 professional sculptors for more than 150 years. But few know about the founder of the museum - Maria Tussauds, which must be mentioned separately.
Fateful acquaintance
Madame Tussauds (Großholz) was born in 1761 in Strasbourg. Her mother got a job with Dr. Curtius after the death of her husband - the girl’s father. As it turned out, this meeting will be crucial for the future founder of an unusual museum, which has absorbed the secrets of the old doctor’s hobby. Curtius was creating anatomically faithful wax models of people. Seeing the girl’s extraordinary abilities, the doctor shared with her the basics of unusual and uncommon art.
Maria creates her first works - the figures of Walter and Jean-Jacques Rousseau - at the age of 17. Kurtius organizes an exhibition of waxworks in Paris, which had no analogues at that time. The figures in full growth, presented to the public, were struck by carefully recreated images.
Revolution and arrest
During the revolution that began in Paris, Mary was arrested, and she was awaiting execution in prison. The woman is saved by her ability to create real figures from wax, and after her release she makes the death masks of Robespierre and the royal family, beheaded during the execution. Returning to the house of Dr. Curtius, Mary discovers that the deceased master bequeathed to her his collection of wax figures.
The beginning of the history of the most popular museum
Madame Tussauds, who married an engineer, continues to do what she loves, and her popularity is only growing. Realizing that family life does not work out, Mary leaves with a huge collection in England.
And from 1835, the history of one of the most unusual museums in the world begins. Having lived a long life, the greatest sculptor created many beautifully executed figures, still surprising in their resemblance to real people and the finest details worked out.
English attraction
Located near Trafalgar Square, Madame Tussauds, whose photo is presented in the article, stores more than a thousand waxworks depicting famous personalities of different eras.
At the entrance of every visitor, a black-clad sculpture of a short elderly woman, the owner of the museum, is welcomingly smiling at everyone who came into her possession. Madame Tussauds, a photo of which (and not only with her) can be taken for free, has become a real London legend, and expositions, sometimes causing scandal by conflicting characters, have long been recognized as English sights.
After the mother’s death, the sons of the museum’s founders invented a special way of fixing wax, which allowed the created figures to be stored for a long time, since before that the figures made by hard work had not lived for more than three years.
"Live" figures
The exhibits presented in the museum are always relevant and reflect the latest events taking place in the world.
Madame Tussauds, whose photo does not convey a special atmosphere, because many figures do not just look like alive, but move around the hall and even talk, and more than 2.5 million tourists visit the site annually. Surprisingly, in the halls there are no fences, and everyone can take joint pictures with their favorite character and even hug.
Popular exposure
During the life of Madame Tussauds, two halls were assigned to the historical figures of Napoleon and his wife, with whom Mary languished in prison dungeons. In addition to stunning sculptures, viewers will see Bonaparte's personal belongings.
And of course, a separate room is dedicated to the royal family, in which wax figures of Elizabeth II, the young princes of the English crown Harry and William, Kate Middleton and the beloved Britons of Princess Diana are exhibited.
Ambiguous Museum Heroes
In fairness, it must be said that not all Madame Tussauds' figures evoke positive emotions among visitors. The photo with Hitler, which many tourists take, is perceived by others as a personal insult. His wax model was repeatedly subjected to vandalism; even spectators imbued with hatred of fascism were tearing her head off, however, after restoration, the museum management did not consider it necessary to remove the ambiguous character.
Touch of history
Wax versions of famous and controversial heroes of various eras have long ceased to be ordinary entertainment, now it is a great source of information, giving a unique opportunity to see legendary personalities in detail. And we must pay tribute to Madame Tussauds for the implementation of the original idea that allowed contemporaries to touch history.