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Marie Tussaud Facts & Worksheets

Marie Tussaud was a French artist known for being the founder of Madame Tussaud’s museum of wax figures in central London.

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Marie Tussaud was a French artist known for being the founder of Madame Tussaud’s museum of wax figures in central London.

See the fact file below for more information on the Marie Tussaud or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Marie Tussaud worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • She was born as Anna Maria “Marie” Grosholtz on December 1, 1761 in Strasbourg, France.
  • Tussaud’s father Joseph Grosholtz died in the Seven Years’ War two months before Marie’s birth.
  • Tussaud’s mother Anne-Marie Walder worked for Philippe Curtius, a physician who was skilled in wax modeling. Curtius taught Tussaud the art of wax modeling.
  • Tussaud created her first wax sculpture in 1777. It was a wax sculpture of Voltaire.
  • Tussaud created many wax sculptures of famous people from 1780 until 1789.
  • In 1794, Curtius died and left his collection of waxworks to Tussaud.
  • In 1795, Tussaud married François Tussaud, a civil engineer. They had three children: one daughter who died shortly after birth, and two sons, Joseph and François.
  • In 1835, Tussaud mounted her first permanent exhibition in Baker Street.
  • When she retired, her son François became chief artist for the exhibition, and was then succeeded by his son Joseph.
  • Tussaud died in her sleep in London on April 16, 1850.

MADAME TUSSAUDS

  • Madame Tussauds is a wax museum founded by Marie Tussaud.
  • Madame Tussauds’ main museum is in London but there are several smaller museums in a number of other major cities.
  • Madame Tussauds is considered as a major tourist spot in London, and displays waxworks of famous and historical figures, popular film and television characters, and famous personalities.
  • One of the main attractions of Madame Tussauds was the Chamber of Horrors.
  • The Chamber of Horrors was an original exhibition at Madame Tussauds, an exhibition of waxworks of notorious murderers and other infamous historical figures.
  • The Chamber of Horrors opened in 1802 but closed permanently in April 2016.
  • Madame Tussauds was severely damaged by a fire in 1925, and later by German bombs in 1941.
  • The oldest wax figure on display in Madame Tussauds is that of Madame du Barry, a work by Curtius from 1765.
  • Madame Tussauds moved from Baker Street to its current location on Marylebone Road, which opened on July 14, 1884.
  • In February 1889, Madame Tussauds was sold to a group of businessmen headed by Edwin Josiah Poyser.
  • In 1908, the first wax sculpture of a young Winston Churchill was made.
  • In 1970, the first overseas branch of Madame Tussauds opened in Amsterdam.
  • In 2005, Madame Tussauds was sold to a company in Dubai, Dubai International Capital.
  • In May 2007, The Blackstone Group brought The Tussauds Group from the Dubai International Capital.
  • On July 17, 2007, Madame Tussauds was sold to a private investor, Nick Leslau.
  • Madame Tussauds immediately became a tourist attraction in London.
    Until 2010, Madame Tussauds incorporated the London Planetarium in its west wing.

MADAME TUSSAUDS BRANCHES

  • The main branch of Madame Tussauds is in central London, specifically on Marylebone Road.
  • On December 1, 2017, a branch of Madame Tussauds opened in India.
  • Other branches of Madame Tussauds can be found in China (Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Wuhan), Hongkong, India (New Delhi), Japan (Tokyo), Singapore, Thailand (Bangkok), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Germany (Berlin), United Kingdom (Blackpool, London), Turkey (Istanbul), Czech Republic (Prague), Austria (Vienna), United States (Hollywood, Las Vegas, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, Washington, DC), and Australia (Sydney)

MADAME TUSSAUDS’ POPULARITY

  • Celebrities and other popular figures have taken photos with their wax figures.
  • On November 3, 2009, Al Roker, a weatherman, posed in place of his wax figure for two hours.
  • In 2010, Ozzy Osbourne, who was then promoting his Scream album, posed in place of his wax figure.
  • In 2012, One Direction, a boy band, posed in place of their wax figures as a prank.
  • Madame Tussauds has also been featured in several films. Some parts of Housefull 3 were shot in Madame Tussauds in London, and it also featured in Shanghai Knights.

WAX FIGURE MAKING PROCESS

  • The wax figure making process for Madame Tussauds takes around four months, with each figure costing roughly $300,000.
  • For a subject to be accurately created, it takes over 250 precise measurements and 180 photographs.
  • If a subject cannot be present for measurements, the artists at Madame Tussauds study hundreds of photographs and watch hours of video to create the figure.
  • All wax figures are made 2% larger than the actual subject because this is how much wax melts off during the entire making process.
  • Each strand of hair on the figure is inserted individually which takes about 5 weeks to complete.
  • The artists at Madame Tussauds use knotted ropes to create the veins in the body, and red silk thread for the eyeball veins.

WAX FIGURES

  • Celebrities and other popular personalities usually take pictures with their waxworks whenever they visit Madame Tussauds; some of them can be seen below.

Marie Tussaud Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Marie Tussaud across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Marie Tussaud worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Marie Tussaud who was a French artist known for being the founder of Madame Tussaud’s museum of wax figures in central London.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Marie Tussaud Facts
  • Who Was Tussaud?
  • Tussaud’s Life
  • Test Yourself!
  • Who Are They?
  • Oldest, Largest, Smallest
  • How?
  • Create One
  • Different Branches
  • Escape!
  • Letter to Marie

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Link will appear as Marie Tussaud Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 3, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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