The Madame Tussauds Museum has long been for London the samea business card like Big Ben, Tower or Trafalgar Square. His exhibits are wax figures of celebrities from different eras. Here you can find sculptures of politicians, stars of show business, sportsmen and other people, famous for the whole world. Any tourist who finds himself in the British capital, includes this museum in the list of attractions that must be visited, because it can not only see the wax figures of their idols, but also touch them and even take a picture next to them as a souvenir.
Museum in the UK capital and its branches
Wax figures of the Madame Tussauds Museum todaynot only in London. The institution has its branches in different countries. You can admire the wax doubles of celebrities in Berlin, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New York, Sydney and other cities. In total, the museum has 14 branches around the world. Since the moment when the talented woman-sculptor Maria Tussaud created her first wax creation, several centuries have passed, since then her institution has turned into a huge entertainment industry. Only its London branch annually visits 2.5 million tourists from all over the world.
Life of Mary in France
Maria Tussauds (before marriage, she wore a surnameGrosholtz) was born in 1761 in Strasbourg. Her mother worked as a simple housekeeper in the house of Philip Curtis - a doctor who was engaged in the manufacture of wax models of famous people. It was he who became the first and only teacher for little Maria, who taught her art, which became the meaning of her whole life. In 1769, Curtis moved to Paris, taking with him the student and her mother. Here he organizes exhibitions of his works and receives orders for the manufacture of wax doubles of Louis XV, Marie Antoinette and other notable persons.
The first celebrity, whose image is talentedthe student of Dr. Curtis was able to capture in the wax, was Voltaire. This happened in 1777, when Mary turned 16 years old. Following him followed the sculptures of Rousseau and Franklin. The wax figures of Madame Tussaud were struck by their extraordinary resemblance to their originals, and the foreman began to receive many profitable orders. The girl's talent was noticed by representatives of the royal family and she was invited to teach sculptural art to the members of the royal family. During the French Revolution, she was commissioned to make posthumous masks of political and public figures sentenced to execution. After the death of Curtis (1794), his entire huge collection passed to Mary. The master began to replenish her and his creations.
Moving of Maria to London, the organization of a permanent exhibition
В 1802 году Тюссо повезла в Лондон восковые sculptures of public figures and criminals. Because of the events of the Anglo-French war, she could not return to Paris and was forced to stay in England, moving with exhibits from one city to another. 1835 was a key year for Maria Tussaud, since then she managed to open a permanent exhibition of her works on Baker Street. From this moment the history of the Museum of Wax figures begins, glorifying a talented woman to the whole world. At the exhibition, first about 30 figures were presented, gradually it was replenished with new ones, among which were statues of Walter Scott, Admiral Nelson and other famous personalities. Life expectancy of the sculptures presented in the museum did not exceed three years, so the old figures had to be replaced regularly with new ones. It was only after Tussaud's death in 1850 that her sons François and Joseph invented a new technology for waxing, which made it possible to make the figures more durable. The children and grandchildren of Mary became worthy followers of her cause. In 1884, the wax figures of the Madame Tussauds Museum changed their address after moving to Marylebone Road. This is where the institution is and now, hospitably welcoming its visitors.
Features of making wax figures
Today, the creation of one sculpture of the museumMadame Tussaud work for about 4 months. Over each figure is a professional team consisting of two dozen people. Making a wax double of a famous person is like a jeweler's job. Before making a statue, the museum staff conduct several hundred measurements, in order to accurately recreate the figure and facial features of the celebrity. The choice of color to create a natural shade of the skin of the star and the formation of its hair is no less laborious work that requires a lot of time. The result of such work turns out to be stunning: the sculpture of a celebrity is so plausible that it is not everyone who is able to distinguish where the copy is, and where the original is.
Exhibits of the Modern London Museum
Madame Tussauds wax figures are more1000 exhibits, accurately depicting famous people from different eras. In the exhibition halls of the museum all members of the British royal family, presidents of leading countries of the world, writers, scientists, military leaders, actors, singers, musicians, etc. are represented. Any celebrity considers it an honor to get his double in the museum, because it indicates her popularity and public acceptance. Here you can see Princess Diana, the Beatles Young, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Gerard Depardieu, Nicole Kidman, Johnny Depp, David Beckham, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin and many other famous people under one roof people. Some figures move and even talk. In one of the halls there is modestly a little old woman from wax, dressed in a black outfit. This is Maria Tussauds. She seems to be watching from time immemorial for the huge wax empire she created.
"Chamber of Horrors"
Не только звёзды представлены в музее.There is an exhibition hall in the establishment, designed for people with strong psyche. It is called the "House of Horror." Here are collected wax figures of serial killers, maniacs, criminals hanging on the gallows. The collection is complemented by severed heads and instruments of torture. In the same room you can see the death masks of representatives of the French royal family, made personally by Maria Tussauds. The entire hall brings horror to visitors, so it is forbidden to enter here for children, pregnant women and people with poor health and unstable mentality.
Today it is difficult to meet the traveler,visited London and did not see the wax figures of Madame Tussauds Museum. Photos with doubles of their idols are the pride of any tourist. They usually brag about, as well as pictures on the background of the Eiffel Tower or the Egyptian pyramids. You can visit the museum on weekdays from 9.30 to 15.30. On public holidays and weekends, the exhibition halls of the restaurant are open for guests until 18.00.
