Dimensions
178 x 221 x 30mm
Madame Tussaud is a name known all over the world. The queue to her exhibition is a landmark. Such is its phenomenal success, it has eclipsed the woman who started it all. But Marie Tussaud led a remarkable life. With grit and audacity she overcame reversals of fortune and built an extraordinary spectacle. Of lowly birth and uncertain paternity, Marie became apprentice to a charismatic showman in Paris who taught her the art of wax modelling. They plied their trade among a colourful cast of Italian singers, pastry cooks, restaurant keepers, marionettes, acrobats, giants, dwarves, and ferocious beasts. In her memoir she also claimed friendship with royals and revolutionaries including Marie Antoinette and Voltaire. But, as a born entrepreneur, did Marie's flair for publicity extend to moulding her own story?
