When you first enter Madame Tussauds, it can be slightly disturbing. Motionless celebrities stare back at you, as you cautiously walk around them, expecting them to come to life at any moment. It would be the perfect place for a horror movie. And yet, the amount of skill to create such a realistic figure is admirable, especially if you compare it to other modelling disasters, like the caricaturish bust of Ronaldo, which became an internet sensation back in 2017. Indeed, Madame Tussauds is a place where we can celebrate the craft of the sculptor… even if it is a bit unnerving at times.

History

Madame Tussauds, formerly known as Marie Grosholtz, became a prominent figure in the wax industry during the late eighteenth century. As a child, she was influenced by her mother, who was a keen sculptor. She worked for one of the top French modellers, Phillipe Curtis, who would teach her daughter the craft later on. During the Revolution, she had the opportunity to perfect her talents with an array of victims. These would be the central figures in her exhibition: ‘The Chamber of Horrors’. This show took place in Baker’s Street, in her museum, ‘Madame Tussauds’, where visitors could come to see her collection. From there, word spread around, and her exhibition soon became a highlight for the people of London. Now a Merlin Entertainment owned business (a company responsible for attractions such as ‘Legoland’), Madame Tussauds has generated worldwide success. 

How they make them

The waxwork required to make the figures is time consuming and extremely meticulous. Everything has to be exact, from the measurement of their legs to the pigment of their eye colour. Once the wax mold is made, a talented team of artists will carry out the process that Madame Tussauds developed in the 18th century. One of the most fascinating elements about this is the fact that they implant each individual strand of hair into the figure’s scalp, a process which can take up to six weeks! They will then start applying colours to the models’ skin and build up the wax to mimic the contours of the client’s body.

Notable appearances

Aside from Tussauds’ plethora of murderers and victims from the French Revolution, there are also a number of household names which have become figurines in the museum. Modern stars like Benedict Cumberbatch, have been immortalised, alongside older figures, such as Einstein and Charles Dickens. This, of course, hasn’t gone without controversy. In 2008, people criticised the wax figure of Hitler in Madame Tussauds Berlin. The museum had only been opened a day when a German man entered the building and decapitated it, as a symbol of defiance against the Nazi regime. Moreover, in 2019, when Meghan and Harry left the country, Madame Tussauds removed them from the royal family collection. Although there was a backlash against the move, the couple still have a prominent place in the museum.

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