Most people know about Madame Tussaud’s wax museum but probably don’t know much about the woman behind it. While this is a fictionalized story we still learn in Madam Tussaud: A Novel Of The French Revolution by Michelle Moran much about who Madame Tussaud really was. Marie Grosholtz was born in Germany and later moved with her family to France. Her mother worked as a housekeeper for Dr. Curtius who was a physician skilled in wax modelling. It was Dr. Curtius who taught Marie the art of wax modelling. In adulthood Marie had connections both to the French royal family (she became a sculpting teacher to one of the sisters of King Louis XVI) as well as the revolutionaries who played prominent parts in the French Revolution. Her family was careful to play both sides during the revolution since they did not know which one would emerge victorious. Marie was imprisoned by the revolutionaries and was lucky to emerge alive. She married Francois Tussaud in 1795 and although the marriage did not last she kept her new last name. Later Marie moved to London where she opened a museum. Marie Tussaud died in 1850 but her name and fame live on.
