Introduction
To be immortalized forever in wax you don’t need to be aQueen or a politician, you just need to be a celebrity with a pulling power.
In fact, there is a great number of wax works exhibitionsin our county and abroad. Wax personalities attract millions of visitors allover the world. It’s an open secret that a transnational entertaining companyTussaud’s Group is at the top of the list.
During my summer trip to St. Petersburg I also visited somewax – works exhibitions. Two of them were really fascinating and worth seeing.But I was also disappointed to discover that there is too much hackwork at thisfield. All this aroused my particular interest in wax sculpture and made meinvestigate the subject deeper. The aim of my work is to research the historyof the matter, to reveal the facts of Madame Tussaud’s life and to trace thedevelopment of Wax Works Museum into the world’s biggest entertaining centre Tussaud’sGroup.
This written work can be used at English lessons and worldart lessons, as well as at extra curricular, devoted to great personalities.I’m sure it will help to broaden the student’s outwork.
HowIt All Began
First it was a living newspaper, then a History textbook,London’s visit card, a movie theatre, a restaurant and even a planetarium.Today Madame Tussaud’s Wax Works Museum is the most visited tourist attractionin the world. Its founder, Madame Tussaud is considered to be the first businesslady in the world’s history and is called a grandmother of modern show –business.
At the beginning of the 17th century Europe wascaptured by fashion on wax portrait sculptures. Although thy were not so long –living and tough as those made of marble and bronze, they were at greaterdemand as more realistic and cheaper. And it made them available not only formerchants and aristocrats but for the common citizens as well. And they wantedto remain in their grandchildren’s memories.
MadameTussaud and Her Museum
Thestory of Madame Tussaud is as fascinating as that of the exhibition itself. Twothings of her life are especially noteworthy. First, she spent her early yearsduring the French Revolution and came to meet many of the characters involved.Second, and perhaps more unusually, she succeeded in business at time whenwomen were rarely involved in the world of commerce.
MadameTussaud was born in Strasbourg in 1761 and christened Marie Grosholtz. Herfather, a soldier, was killed in a battle during the Seven Years War only twomonths before Marie’s birth. Her mother was a housekeeper for Dr. PhilippeCurtius, a skilled wax sculptor. From the earliest childhood Marie learntmodelling techniques with Dr. Curtius. Just before the French Revolution theymoved to Paris.
Atthat time Marie’s talent became apparent and he was invited to the royal courtto assist in the artistic education of the King Loui XVI’s sister, MadameElizabeth. Life in Versallies was vivid contrast to Marie’s pervious existence.The capital became a centre chaotic activity; no one was safe, and at one timeboth Marie and her mother were imprisoned. But they were not executed, andnobody knew why. Long before Marie was asked to prepare the death masks of manyof her former employers after they had been executed – among them MarieAntoinette, Lois XVI, Jean Paul Marat, the philosopher and revolutionary. Thisportrait, along with many others modelled by Marie, is still on display today.
In1794 Cutius died, and Marie inherited the business, which was grown under herinfluence. In the following year she married a French engineer, FrancoisTussaud, and gave birth to three children: a daughter, who died, and two sons.
Francewas still suffering, enormous deprivation, and Marie’s exhibiton was strugglingto survive. In 1802 Marie made a monumental decision. She would leave herhusband and her baby son, Francis, in Paris, while she and her elder son,Joseph, would tour to the exhibition round the British Isles.
Mariewas to see neither France nor her husband again. She spent the next 33 yearstravelling around the British Isles, exhibiting her growing collection offigures to crowds of curious and intrigued spectators. Joseph (her elder son)accompanied her, taking a keen interest in the craft of making wax figures Soonhis brother Francis joined them.
Inthe days before television, cinema and radio Madame Tussaud’s figures eresensation. Week after week the figures of Lord Byron, the murders Burke andHare, King George IV, Queen Carline of Brunswik, Shakespeare and the death maskof Emperor Napoleon – among many others – were packed and unpacked to be shownto an admiring public.
Thetravels ended in 1835, when Madame Tussaud’s exhibition found a permanent home.It was in London, not far from today’s exhibition.
Anotherinteresting development of the period was the establishment of what was tobecome the Chamber of Horrors. Madame Tussaud’s collection of the victims andperpetrators of violent punishment and murders and miscreants was anunquestionable success.
MadameTussaud was actively involved in the exhibition almost to the end of her life.This would be a remarkable feat even now, and was particularly unusual for awoman in the 19th century. In April 1850, at the age of 89, shedied. Her final work – a remarkable self – portrait modelling eight yearsbefore her death – can still be seen today.
Thereare some interesting facts about her museum. In 1925 an electrical faultsparked a fire, which, despite the efforts of Madame Tussaud’s own firefightersand the London Fire Brigade, soon raged out of the control. Many of the figureswere destroyed. But in 1928 the interior had been reconstructed, this time withthe addition of a cinema and restaurant.
Withthe outbreak of the Second World War, in 1939, all of Britain was threatened byenemy action — not least London. During the night of the 8th ofSeptember 1940, Madame Tussaud’s was struck by a heavy bomb, which inflictedsignificant damage. Some 352 head moulds were damaged beyond repair and thecinema was completely destroyed – although, thankfully, no lives were lost. InDecember of that same year the exhibition again opened its doors to the public.
Andnow I’d like to dwell upon some studio secrets of Madame Tussaud’s Museum.
StudioSecrets
Modellingmethods at Madame Tussaud’s have not changed in 200 years. Once a person hasbeen chosen, the firs step is to collect preliminary information – pressphotographs and articles if the subject is alive, portraits in other media andbiographies if dead. Then it must be decided in which part of the exhibitionthe figure is to be placed, what the pose it should be and its relationship toother wax portraits.
Thesculptor is normally given a sitting with the subject when detailed photographsare taken, hair and eyes are matched and clothes noted. The sculptor not onlytakes precire measurements, such as dimensions of ears and nostrils, but alsohas the opportunity to observe the character and personality of the subject,which will be conveyed as modelling progresses.
Sittingsusually take place at Madame Tussaud’s studious although, on occasion, thesculptor will visit the subject. Nelson Mandela gave a sitting at the PostHouse Hotel near Heathrow Airport, during a busy schedule which included atelevision interview. He later visited Madame Tussaud’s with the late ANCleader Oliver Tambo to unveil the figure.
SylvesterStallone’s sitting was as the MGM Studious in Holywood, and he presented MadamTussaud’s with his own full set of evening clothes.
MadameTussaud’s sculptors never take life casts. Hands, however, are regularlymoulded from life and cast in wax.
Ittakes about six months to complete a figure, most of which is spent on theportrait head. Working from the reference material acquired at the sitting, thesculptor begins by modelling the head in clay. At this stage the hair is alsosculpted, but this will later be replaced by real hair. Despite the extensiveuse of careful measurements, a great deal of artistry is required to achieve arealistic portrait. The body is built up in clay on to an armature.
Whenthe sculptor is happy with the clay model, a mould of approximately 12 separatepieces is taken from the head. After meticulous cleaning, the saturated, warmplaster head mould is filled with molten wax. When a sufficient thickness hassolidified, the still molten centre is poured away. The head mould is made of aplaster of sufficient quality and fitness to reproduce exactly the surface ofthe clay, and can be used several times. The plaster pieces are removed fromthe head, and the wax cast is allowed to cool slowly, wrapped in cloth.
Entertainingand Amazing People
Figuresare made 2% bigger than real life because wax shrinks. The wax used for thefigures is similar to candle wax. In the more thrifty past, wax figures weremelted down and re – used, but this is no longer the case as the color of thewax deteriorates when recycled. Each figure weights about 15 kg – with 4.5 kgof wax used for the head and 1.4 kg for the hands.
Over150 precise measurements are taken to create an accurate portrait. Each hair isto be individually inserted, taking about five weeks.
Allthe figures regularly have their hair washed and styled like anyone else wouldat a hairdresser’s. By the way, all vital statistics are accurate and keptunder lock and key by Madame Tussaud’s. Despite repeated requests from thepress, this information is never disclosed.
Thecharacters who move and speak are modelled in clay first of all, like thenormal portraits, but the head is made in silicon rubber which allows movement.
Aspokesperson for Madame Tussaud’s says men and women like different figures.The figure most photographed by men is Naomi Campbell, and the mostphotographed by women is Brad Pitt.
However,the attention from the public isn’t always friendly – for instance, Hitler hadto be put behind in the Chamber of Horrors because people couldn’t stop abusinghim. By the way, research by Madame Tussaud’s has revealed that women arestronger than men. In a recent study they discovered that Chamber of Horrors istwice as popular among women as among men!
Developing Business
Ringing in the changes
Sinceit opened in 1835 Madame Tussauds has constantly worked to introduce newattractions over the years.
Oneof the most recent changes has seen the prominent displays of pop singers, TVstars and movie icons replacing the traditional royals, historical figures andpoliticians.
Customer needs
Customerfeedback has dictated the recent changes as visitors no longer expressed aninterest in seeing men in suits expecting to see instead current celebritiesand wanting interactive exhibitions.
Theroyals haven’t been replaced completely you can still see the Queen but insteadof seeing her from behind a rope you can have a royal audience escorted byguardsmen.
TheUK’s top personality
7Sir Elton John has been unveiled as the UK’s favourite personality and cast inchocolate! A life size chocolate figure of Sir Elton has been made to celebrateCadbury’s Centenary.
Peoplehad the chance to vote from a top ten list that consisted of:
• fiveTV personalities (Cat Deeley, Denise Van Outen, Jonathan Ross, Ricky Gervaisand Sharon Osbourne)
• threesports personalities (David Beckham, Denise Lewis and Paula Radcliffe)
• twosingers (Sir Elton John and Will Young)
Thefigure which weighs 126kgs can be viewed in Madame Tussaud’s until Autumn in aspecial tent that stops it from melting.
PopularBritish culture
Youcan get up close and personal with celebrities like Simon Cowell made famous byUK reality TV show ‘Pop Idol’ you can try to impress him with your vocaltalents and then listen to his comments.
Thesystem you sing into tells how in tune you are and dictates his comments fromhis trademark put downs to the very rare praise.
Popand movie stars
Ifyou want more than TV personalities you can rub shoulders or chests with thecream of Hollywood, Brad Pitt. You can stroke his silicon chest – it may be theclosest you ever get to doing it. Or if you would rather you can dance with popprincess Britney Spears and her backing dancers while Britney is all wax thedancers are real creating a unique experience.
Howmuch do they cost?
BeyonceKnowles, singer with the girl group Destiny’s Child, was mmortalized in 2004at a cost of £52,000 complete in the orange and pink Versace dress shewore in her music video ‘Crazy in love’ as part of the Diva’s exhibition.
Theinteractive features and celebrity wax works are helping Madame Tussauds remaina world famous tourist attraction that celebrities want to be part of andpeople want to visit.
Chronology
Andnow I’d like to present the full history of Madame Tussaud’s in brief.
FRANCE,1770-1802
Throughtalent and determination, a young girl named Marie Grosholz came to be numberedamong the most famous of English institutions.
1761- Marie Grosholz, later known as Madame Tussaud, is born in Strasbourg.
1770- Marie’s mother’s employer, a doctor called Philippe Curtius, opens anexhibition of life-size wax figures at the Palais Royale in Paris. Marie learnsthe art of wax modelling from him.
1777- Marie models the famous author and philosopher, Francois-Marie ArouetVoltaire.
1780- Marie becomes art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister and goes to live at theroyal court in Versailles.
1789- The outbreak of the French Revolution. — Marie returns to Paris, laterhelping Curtius to mould the heads of some of the guillotine’s victims – amongthem her Versailles acquaintances.
ENGLAND- TRAVELLING PERIOD, 1802-35
1794- Marie Grosholz inherits Curtius’s collection of figures.
1795- She marries François Tussaud, an engineer, but leaves him eight yearslater to bring the collection on a tour of the British Isles.
ENGLAND- BAKER ST BAZAAR, 1835-84
Forthe next 33 years, she lives the exhausting and precarious life of a travellingshowman, moving from town to town with her caravans, organising advertising,and encouraging newspaper anecdotes, or organising charity benefits to bring inuseful patrons.
Shesuffers shipwreck in the Irish Sea, and fire during the Bristol Riots of 1831.Yet, throughout the travelling years, new figures are constantly introduced.
1835- Madame Tussaud’s settles into a permanent home in The Bazaar, Baker Street,London.
«Visitorsentering the Bazaar from Baker Street proceed to a saloon richly decorated withmirrored embellishments. Here sits an aged lady, with an accent which proclaimsher Gallic origins. Were she motionless, you would take her for a piece ofwaxwork. This is Madame Tussaud, a lady who is in herself an Exhibition.»[from an 1842 guidebook]
1846- Punch Magazine coins the name «Chamber of Horrors» for MadameTussaud’s separate room where gruesome relics of the French Revolution aredisplayed.
1850- Madame Tussaud dies. In her old age, supported by two sons, she had achievedgreat success. She had resisted a U.S. buy-out, her memoirs had been published,and her portrait was painted by a court painter. She had been immortalised byDickens (as Mrs Jarley) and caricatured by Cruikshank.
MOVETO MARYLEBONE ROAD
1884- Madame Tussaud’s grandson, Joseph Randall, directs the move to the presentsite in Marylebone Road.
FIRE& RE-BUILDING 1925-28
1925- Fire guts the whole building, destroying not only almost all the wax figuresand their costumes, but priceless furnishings, paintings and relics too.
Fortunately,many of the old head moulds were saved, and from these the Exhibition wasrebuilt, opening 3 years later with the addition of a large Cinema andRestaurant.
WARBRINGS ABOUT PLANETARIUM
1940- A German bomb destroys the Cinema. Ironically, the figure of Hitler is one ofthe few figures to survive unscathed.
1958- Madame Tussaud’s opens the Commonwealth’s first Planetarium on the site ofthe old cinema.
1971- A new Madame Tussaud’s opens its doors in the Kalverstraat, Amsterdam, returningto the continent for the first time since 1817.
1981- Madame Tussaud’s Amsterdam expands their collection and moves to celebratedDam Square right in the heart of the city.
1993- The Spirit of London, a spectacular animatronic ride, arrives at MadameTussaud’s.
1995- The London Planetarium is re-opened after a £4.5 million redevelopment,including the installation of the world-leading Digistar II Star Projector.
1996- A bigger, better, more chilling than ever Chamber of Horrors is opened at MadameTussaud’s, London.
1999- Madame Tussaud’s opens in Las Vegas featuring American superstars andHollywood legends.
2000- Madame Tussaud’s New York opens, featuring the city’s ‘Movers and Shakers’,alongside a whole world of stars.
Madame Tussaud’s opens in Hong Kong featuring over 100 wax figures ofinternationally-known personalities and local celebrities
2002- Madame Tussaud’s starts to introduce exciting new interactive attractionswhere guests get to feel what it is like to be famous. In the ‘Goal!’attraction guests step into the moment when David Beckham prepares to take the93rd minute free kick that leads England into the World Cup — his figure iscreated with a beating heart.
Aftera sitting at Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II’s 22nd figure is created fora Golden Jubilee attraction at Madame Tussaud’s. The ropes surrounding theRoyal Family are taken away forever as guests are invited to have a personal‘Audience with The Queen.’
2003– Tussaud’s collaborates with Disney to create a Treasure Planetariumattraction, and with Universal Pictures to create The Hulk attraction.
The Chamber-Live! gives a new injection of fear to the Chamber Of Horrors.
2004- More new interactive attractions open; In ‘Divas’, starring Beyonce, Britneyand Kylie, guests are taught dance moves and perform on stage with feedback ontheir performance from Beyonce via video link.
‘Bollywoodfor Beginners’ opens with the new figure of Aishwariya Rai and guests get toperform in a scene from the film ‘Bride & Predjudice’.
‘Marry me George’ sees guests getting the chance to have a dinner date with MrClooney and trying out their best chat-up lines – they are rewarded with eitherdiamond engagement ring or the bill for dinner!
2005- Madame Tussaud’s gets rocking with a new show ‘Air Guitar Star’ starring TheDarkness’ Justin Hawkins. Guests are taught air guitar moves and battle it outto become the top Rock God!
Guestsare invited to try and put a twinkle in the eye of the new Robbie Williamsfigure, made because the previous figure was literally ‘worn out’ from theover-attention of eager fans!
Conclusion
Inconclusion I’d like to say that working at my report I discovered a lot ofastonishing details about the past and present of the museum. It wasinteresting to learn about opening the Planetarium, moving images andanimatronic ride “The Spirit of London”. I could hardly imagine that there areeven speaking wax figures and that visitors can freely interact with them –dance, sing, play and what not! I was also impressed reading about StudioSecrets; the process of making wax sculpture is a real art! And can you imaginethat each hair is inserted individually and it takes five weeks? And of courseit was a surprise for me to follow wonderful changes and how the museumgradually turned into a great international complex Tussaud’s Group!
Ican’t but say I highly appreciate Marie Grosholz, or Madame Tussaud. I admirethis talented strong, courageous and enthusiastic business lady. I’m sure herlife and the history of the Museum can serve a brilliant example for businesspeople how to develop and expand one’s business. And without any doubts shewould be proud to see the fantastic changes of her creation!
Myreport is supported with a video “Madame Tussaud’s Museum”, which was reallyhelpful. I got a vivid picture of the Museum and watched the process of waxfigure – making in a mould studio, as if I have visited it myself.
Iwish I could drop in a chilling Chamber of Horrors, or come to a life sizechocolate figure of Sir Elton John and smell it! And it would be nice to watchDavid Beckham taking his free kick and listen to his beating heart!
Iwonder if there is wax Marilyn Manson there. It would be great!
Bibliography
· Studio Secrets booklet, copyright M.Tussaud’s Limited, 1993, produced by Big Design, London, p. 49 — 50
· World Business Legends magazine, №4, 2004
· Uchitelskaya Gazeta, Olga Dmitrieva (www.ug.ru)
· Stories To Enjoy (intermediate), Moscow,“Manager” p. 111-113
· Speak Out Magazine №6, 2004, p. 8 – 9
· Wax Works Museum, A. Greiser,Ekaterinburg, p. 86 – 89
· Video “Madam Tussaud’s Museum” \ “WakingAround London”
Contents
Introduction
How It All Began
Madam Tussaud’s and Her Museum
Studio Secrets
Entertaining and Amazing People
Developing Business
Chronology
Conclusion
Bibliography