Madame Tussauds Wax Museum - photo. How are wax figures created at Madame Tussauds? Madame Tussauds first museum city

London, like any world capital with ancient history, rich in attractions. Here are the famous Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Hyde Park, where the tale of Peter Pan takes place. Museum wax figures Madame Tussauds is the same symbol of London as Big Ben, but with one difference: it is a landmark with human face. More precisely, with a thousand faces - that’s how many figures the museum’s collection currently has.

The museum's annual attendance is 2.5 million people. This figure is recognition of the merits of Marie Tussaud, who two centuries ago laid the foundation for a great work, interest in which does not fade to this day.

Marie Tussaud (nee Grossholtz) was born in Strasbourg in 1761. The future founder of the museum studied the craft artistic modeling from wax from Dr. Philip Curtis, for whom Mary's mother worked as a housekeeper. The girl turned out to be a very capable student and at the age of 16 she made her first figure - Voltaire himself. Her next works were Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin.

For 30 years, Maria helped her teacher organize exhibitions and conduct business. Curtis deservedly appreciated such devotion, and after his death in 1794, the entire collection of the doctor’s works was given to Mary. Forced to leave her homeland due to the next Anglo-French war, in 1802 Marie Tussaud moved to London.

For several decades, the collection of wax figures was a traveling exhibition with which Tussauds traveled around English cities and everyone. And so in 1835, at the insistence of her sons, she decided to give her congregation a permanent home.

Initially, the museum was located on the famous Baker Street, and the number of exhibited characters did not exceed 30.

The main difficulty was ensuring the safety of the figures, because after several years the quality of the wax decreased and they lost their realism.

Therefore, the first priority of the sons of Madame Tussaud, who died in her sleep in 1850, was to invent a way to increase the lifespan of wax exhibits. This method was found and patented, and in 1884, when it became clear that Marie Tussaud’s work was destined to live on for centuries, the museum moved to a new location, where it remains to this day.

The descendants of Madame Tussaud turned out to be worthy successors to the work of their great-grandmother. The museum survived a devastating fire in 1925 and a complete restoration from ruins after the German bombing in 1941, but each time the great-grandchildren of Marie Tussaud restored the collection. Over the two centuries of its history, the museum has grown significantly - its branches have opened in 19 cities around the world - but at all times it has remained a family affair.

Collection of Tussauds London

The first thing anyone who wants to visit Tussauds London will have to face is a huge queue, and it seems that it is impossible to get to the end of it. However, it moves quite quickly, and after 40 minutes you can purchase a ticket at the box office.

At the entrance, visitors are greeted by Madame Tussaud herself. Or rather, a self-portrait figure made by her with her own hands during her lifetime. This work opens the museum's collection, which is housed in several thematic rooms.

It will take more than one hour to examine all the exhibits, and the most common recommendation from experienced travelers to those who are just planning to visit the wax museum is that the camera should be fully charged.

Inside, the museum is a gallery of halls where characters are collected, united by the same theme. The largest of them is called "World Arena". Here are figures of political and cultural figures from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The oldest exhibits keep the warmth of the hands of Madame Tussauds herself - they were made by the founder of the museum. Among the figures of Admiral Nelson and Walter Scott are moving casts of Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Bergey, while Oscar Wilde is accompanied by Shakespeare. The royal couple, Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry, are also present here. The crowned dynasty has recently been replenished with the figure of the Duchess of Cambridge - Kate Middleton.

The other part of this hall is dedicated to the most important political and religious figures of history.

Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Indira Gandhi, Nicolas Sarkozy and others found refuge in the so-called Oval Office outstanding politicians different times.

Around Barack Obama, the atmosphere of the real Oval Office in the White House has been recreated, and to his left, Vladimir Putin remains unfailingly calm. In this hall, each visitor has a unique opportunity to shake hands with the world leader or express his opinion about his actions.

Another part of the World Arena exposition is dedicated to music. Here Christina Aguilera poses flirtatiously, looking incredulously Justin Timberlake, and Placido Domingo stood to the side. Of course, there was a stage in this hall.

It brought together musical legends, living and deceased. Robbie Williams and Beyoncé, Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury froze in anticipation of applause. The Liverpool four, the Beatles, sat on a sofa at a distance.

The second hall of the museum is called “Premiere Night”. It contains figures of Hollywood stars. Under the huge Hollywood sign are Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Jim Carrey and Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Terminator.

In a separate corner stood the stars of the Indian “Dream Factory” - Bollywood. It is noteworthy that Madame Tussauds recognizes not only real actors as stars, but also drawn ones, such as Shrek, Hulk and Spider-Man.

By the way, Marvel comics characters have become the heroes of a recent museum innovation that children really like - the 4D show includes a 10-minute 3D film, and wind, splashes and moving chairs add to the sensations for the audience.

The next hall, called “A List Party,” accommodates world celebrities. George Clooney sat at a separate table next to Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who, in turn, were next to the Beckhams.

Also in this room you can shake hands with Leonardo DiCaprio, take a photo with Robert Pattinson and look at J.Lo’s famous curves from all sides.

Lovers thrills You will also find entertainment to your liking in the museum.

Probably the most famous hall The museum is called the “Chamber of Horror,” and its exhibits illustrate the darkest and bloodiest pages of history.

Here you can find a complete collection of severed heads of the wives of Henry the Eighth, figures of the most famous maniacs and murderers, as well as instruments of medieval torture. The incredible sensations are enhanced by the museum staff, who in dark clothes jump out of the darkness and grab visitors by the hands.

An excursion to this hall is usually accompanied by a woman's squeal. For those who like it, there is the opportunity to spend the whole night here for an additional fee (£100). They say there are enough people willing.

Another feature of the Tussauds London Museum is the opportunity to study the history of the English capital by riding in a mobile trailer through the exhibition with views of London from its origins to the present time.

Interesting facts and features of Madame Tussauds

The unanimous opinion of those who were lucky enough to visit Madame Tussauds is: “This is incredible! They look real!” And indeed, by looking at a photo where a celebrity is standing next to his wax double, it is not always possible to accurately detect a fake. This result is the merit of a whole team of craftsmen, in whose hands shapeless wax takes on human characteristics.

First of all, careful measurements are taken. If the person from whom the cast is made is alive, he will have to spend several hours with the sculptor, who will take about 500 measurements from him. Not the most pleasant experience, but world celebrities do not complain, considering it an honor to be captured in wax. If the prototype of the future figure has died, the sculptor works exclusively from photographs.

The next stage is choosing a pose and securing it in a metal frame. The legs are made of hard metal, and the arms are made of soft aluminum. It takes a week to make the frame alone. And then the magic begins.

The frame is evenly covered with a layer of clay, based on casts of which wax parts will be cast. Clay casts must be worked out in detail, because the realism of the future exhibit depends on their quality.

Then clay forms, moistened warm water, filled with beeswax, purified and heated to a temperature of 74°C. Coloring pigments are first mixed into the wax to give it a color as close as possible to the natural skin tone. After this, the wax is allowed to cool for an hour. The final stage is grinding, during which technological seams and burrs are removed from the surface of the figure.

In total, work on one figure lasts about 800 hours. Therefore, no more than 20 copies are added to the collection every year. It is not surprising that each exhibit costs more than $50,000.

Useful information for tourists: opening hours, directions, ticket prices

The location of Madame Tussauds has remained unchanged since 1884. This is Marylebone Street, the full address is: Marylebone Road London NW1 5LR. This is a former planetarium building near Regent's Park. The nearest tube station is Baker Street. You can get to the museum by buses No. 274, 113, 82, 74, 30, 27, 18, 13 or 3.

The museum's opening hours are as follows:

Monday – Friday: 10:00 – 17:30

Saturday – Sunday: 9:30 – 17:30

IN holidays The museum is open until 18:00, and from mid-July to September - tourist season - until 19:00. You can use this to save on your entrance fee.

If the ticket is purchased at the box office, you will have to pay the full price for it. Experienced tourists are advised to purchase a ticket on the official website of the museum with a 25% discount. Below are prices for tickets at the box office and on the website.

• Child £30 at checkout and £22.50 online
• Adult £25.8 at checkout and £19.29 online
• Family £111.6 at checkout and £83.69 online

As you can see, the difference is noticeable. To save even more, you can visit the museum in the evening. The website offers to start the tour after 17:00 for £15. Bearing in mind that the museum is open until 19:00 during the tourist season, this option is worth trying. In addition, travel tickets railways Great Britain is given the right to enter the museum according to the 1=2 scheme, that is, 2 people for the price of 1.

From the Madame Tussauds wax museum, the visitor will not take away newly acquired knowledge, as from the Hermitage or the Louvre. Its exposition is not educational character. But this does not prevent the queue, which cannot be counted, from wrapping around his building even in the cloudiest weather.

For many, Marie Tussaud's collection is not just entertainment and interesting photographs. This is a chance to make your dream come true and look into the eyes of someone about whom so much has been written and filmed, about whom there have been so many thoughts and dreams. After all, at all times people have strived to touch a star, even one that is on earth and made of wax.

Probably, Madame Tussauds is known to each of us. The main exhibition of the museum is located in London, and there are branches in almost all European capitals, and even in China and the American continent: in Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Berlin, Amsterdam and most major cities USA. Back in the 19th century, the museum hospitably opened its doors, but even today it enjoys enormous popularity, to the envy of its competitors. Everyone has at least heard or even dreams of visiting and seeing with their own eyes the Madame Tussauds wax museum, but few were interested in who and when it was founded, as well as the biography of this unique woman.

Brief biographical information

In December 1761, in the German town of Strasbourg, a daughter, Maria, was born into the family of the executioner Johann-Joseph Grosholz and Anna. Just 2 months earlier, Johann died in the war. But his wife Anna was not at all upset about this, since from her youth she had been in love with the young and talented doctor and sculptor Philip Wilhelm Curtius.

Having lost her husband, Anna and her little daughter go to find their happiness in Bern, where she gets a job as a housekeeper for her lover. Curtius, by the way, along with medical practice, successfully taught, and for clarity, he personally prepared teaching aids internal organs made of wax. And given the doctor’s more than modest salary and Curtius’ natural talent, he also earned extra money by making wax busts of people and decorating them with wardrobe items.

In 1763, Philip Curtius moved to Paris with Anna and 6-year-old Marie. His father's affection for Marie pushed Philip into long-term regular classes with the girl: first he trained her memory by giving her tasks to draw people whom they accidentally met on the street, and then he began to involve the girl in making wax figures in his medical workshop. It was in those distant years that the foundations were laid for the creation wax museum Madame Tussauds.

In 1771, Curtius gained fame by exhibiting sculptures of the newlyweds Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in his exhibition hall. It was Mary's stepfather, Philip Curtius, who invented the idea of ​​​​creating wax doubles of celebrities, which was later implemented by Tussaud. Even Louis XVI was among the museum's regulars. Maria in those days only sold tickets at the entrance.

The creative path of Maria Grosholz

And by the age of 16, the girl knew how to independently make full-fledged figures. The first was the statue of Francois Voltaire, who, by the way, soon died. Today this very first figure of Mary occupies a place of honor in Madame Tussauds in London.

At the age of 19, the girl moved to Versailles at the invitation of Louis to teach his sister Elizabeth her skills. Just 9 months later, Marie, along with members of the dynasty, found herself in the Bastille. For several months, Marie was in a cell with the notorious Josephine, Napoleon's wife in the future. Having been freed from the Bastille, the girl was not at a loss and, despite the obvious decline in French society's interest in the museum, turned to the main revolutionary Robespierre with a proposal to create his figure for the museum. Other famous revolutionaries followed his example. Among others, the creation of a wax composition that immortalized the death of the main revolutionary Marat at the hands of Charlotte Corday was significant. By the way, Maria also met Charlotte during her ill-fated imprisonment in the Bastille.

Then Maria, as if instinctively, returned to her father’s trade - she began to collaborate with the executioners, who gave her the heads of the victims. Maria removed the death masks from them and exhibited them in the museum. One of the most popular was the composition “Death of a Titan,” depicting the death of Robespierre.

How Madame Tussauds' wax museum was created

As already mentioned, the museum was started by Philip Curtius, the stepfather of Maria Grosholtz (Tussaud's married life). In 1794, Maria inherited the museum due to the death of Philip and continued its brilliant development. A year later, the girl marries Francois, a successful engineer, and takes his surname Tussaud. With a difference of 2 years, the couple gave birth to two sons. The woman’s career began to decline when Josephine invited her to her place with a request to create a figure of Napoleon.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Maria separated from her husband and left for England. Thus the connection between the great woman sculptor and brilliant France is severed.

For some time Marie travels around England, tirelessly continuing to work on the collection. Madame Tussauds, whose sculptures were mainly displayed historical figures France, replenished with new faces - Richard I, Cromwell, Henry VII stood in line with others. Here Marie was helped by her old connections with the French executioners. In 1804, during a trip to Liverpool, the museum suffered a sad fate - the ship was wrecked and all the figures sank. But Maria, with her characteristic tenacity, working around the clock, restored all the lost figures using backup casts.

Over time, the grown-up children actively joined the ranks of the family “business.” The museum's collection includes heirs to thrones and even Queen Victoria herself. After this, almost immediately Madame Tussauds in London became one of the most famous attractions in Great Britain. Yes, however, the museum generously shared its glory with the brilliant owner of the “dolls”, giving her the title of one of the most famous and successful women worldwide.

On the laurels of glory

Until 1835, Maria toured with the museum throughout England and beyond, and then settled in her mansion in London. Even old age could not moderate the creative fervor of this truly amazing woman - until the age of 81, she continued to actively work on creating exhibits. By the way, the last figure was a self-portrait of Maria. Immediately before her death, Maria became interested in creating cartoons.

The recent history of Madame Tussauds wax museum

It is common knowledge that in order to be immortalized at Tussauds, one must really be outstanding personality. And only one person in all of history refused to create her own figure - Mother Teresa. To date, the London exhibition includes over 1000 exhibits.

• At the end of the 19th century, the museum’s collection contained only about a hundred figures, all of which were stored for 2 to 3 years and then fell into disrepair. And only the sons of Tussaud invented the method of “preserving” the figures so that the wax did not deteriorate.
• If at first the museum exhibited mainly politicians, now their ranks have been supplemented by actors and singers, scientists and TV presenters, and even porn actresses!
• Some of the figures presented in the exhibition can make simple movements and even talk!
• The current value of the museum is about $2 billion.
• Children under 9 years old are not allowed into the museum.
• Some figures can not only move and speak, but even blush from the immodest glances of visitors (such as Jennifer Lopez)!

Wax figures: what else?

In addition to thousands of wax figures of celebrities from different genres, eras and nations, in the halls of the museum you can also visit the chamber of horrors, and even go on a unique taxi journey through the centuries.

How to get to Madame Tussauds in London?

As easy as pie! It is enough to become a sports legend, a world political leader, an international pop star... Or fly to the capital of Great Britain and hit the road to the Baker Street metro station (yes, after Tussauds, you can also visit Sherlock Holmes!) , and a 2-minute walk to Marylebone is the desired museum.

Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam

There are 40 wax museum branches around the world, and the very first of them (of course, after the London office) was opened in Amsterdam. Here are figures of sports stars such as David Beckham, Ronaldinho and Rafael van der Vaart. In the hall dedicated to members of the royal family, you will feel at least like a royal person - such an atmosphere of luxury reigns here. And in the hall of culture and art you will have a unique opportunity to take pictures with Picasso, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. And at the same time, get inspired and create your own masterpiece. But the most popular, especially among young people, is the hall of showbiz stars - here you will meet J. Lo, Brad Pitt, Beyoncé and even George Clooney. Those who are particularly inventive can even lie down on the sofa next to Robbie Williams!

The Tussauds Museum opened in Berlin is unique in its liveliness and realism. Firstly, there are as many as 7 thematic exhibition halls. And secondly, here you can not only look at sculptures skillfully created from wax, or take pictures with them, but also directly participate in the exhibitions! You can take a moonwalk lesson from the King of Pop Michael Jackson, sing karaoke or create your own photo in the pop art style of Andy Warhol. And finally, you can even go behind the scenes and see with your own eyes how delicate the craft is in creating masterpieces from wax. And as a surprise, you can order a wax print of your palm or even a bust from the museum.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum boasts the number of exhibits, the number of branches around the world, the number of visitors, but, unfortunately, the number of fakes. At Tussauds, the figures are so striking in their realism that sometimes you get the feeling that you really are in 19th-century Britain, surrounded by French revolutionaries and Napoleon Bonaparte himself.

Madame Tussauds has a very touching story creation. It all started back in 1761 in France. After the death of her husband, the mother of this amazing woman was forced to move from Strasbourg to Berlin in search of work. She found her in the house of the doctor Philip Curtius. The man had quite unusual hobby- creating figures from wax. Mademoiselle liked this activity so much that she decided to learn all its secrets and devote her life to this particular art form.

The first works of the young sculpture were put on public display in London in 1835 (in the northern part of Westminster). That's when the ancient museum was founded! After 49 years it moved to a building on Marylebone Road, in the heart of the city. A few years later, almost nothing remained of the collection of figures; it was destroyed by fire. Madame Tussauds had to start work again and reconstruct all the dolls. After the death of the owner of the wax “empire,” the sculptor’s heirs took over its development. They developed new technologies to prolong the “youth” of their statues.

Where is Madame Tussauds located?

Main showroom is located in England, in the most prestigious area of ​​London - Marylebone. But it also has branches in major US cities:

• Los Angeles;
• New York;
• Las Vegas;
• San Francisco;
• Orlando.

In Asia, representative offices are located in Singapore, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Bangkok. Europe is also lucky - tourists can see masterpiece sculptures in Barcelona, ​​Berlin, Amsterdam, and Vienna. Madame Tussauds became so popular that her works went far overseas, to Australia. Unfortunately, they have not yet reached the CIS countries for 2017.

The exact address of the main Madame Tussauds museum is Marylebone Road London NW1 5LR. It is located in the building of a former planetarium. Regent's Park is nearby, and the Baker Street metro station is nearby. It is convenient to get to the site by train or buses 82, 139, 274.

What can you see inside?

The exhibition includes more than 1,000 figures around the world. Sculptures have taken their place in different branches of the museum:

• actors;
  
• musicians;
  
• politicians;
  
• writers;
  
• athletes (Maria Sharapova, Ronaldo, etc., David Beckham is especially popular);
  
• representatives of the English royal dynasty;
  
• heroes of films and animated series and simply famous personalities.
  

At the entrance to the central branch of Madame Tussauds, guests are greeted by its owner in modest attire “in person.” During a tour of the exhibition halls you can say hello to participants legendary group The Beatles, take a photo with Michael Jackson, shake hands with Charlie Chaplin, exchange glances with Audrey Hepburn. For history buffs, there are two rooms reserved specifically for Napoleon himself and his wife! The museum has not forgotten about those who devoted their lives to science and cultural activities. Among them:

• Charles Dickens;
  


• Shakespeare;
  
• Pablo Picasso.
  

Naturally, members of the British royal family took pride of place in the London branch of Madame Tussauds. They seem to be pictures come to life, it seems that Kate Middleton has just stepped out of the pages of a magazine, tenderly holding the hand of her husband, Prince William. And to the right of them stands majestically the mistress of Buckingham Palace, the great Elizabeth II. The strict Sir Harry keeps her company. And where would we be without Lady Diana!

It was simply impossible for Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Rihanna, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, the scandalous couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, confidently sitting on the sofa, to appear in the museum.

Political figures of no less interest are:

The Berlin branch displays figures of Winston Churchill, Angela Merkel, and Otto Von Bismarck. Children will be delighted by the figures of Spider-Man, Superman, Wolverine, and cinema lovers will be able to pose against the backdrop of Jack Sparrow and Bond heroes.

Who are the Russians represented in the museum?

There are few Russians in Madame Tussauds museums. It’s worth going to Amsterdam to see Comrade Gorbachev and Lenin; the former, by the way, also found his place in New York, near Reagan. A sculpture of one of Russia's presidents, Boris Yeltsin, is located in the London branch. From modern politicians Russian museum masters decided to recreate only Vladimir Putin, whose statue adorns the exhibition hall in the UK and Thailand. These are the sculptures exhibited in different branches of the institution!

Room of Horrors: Brief Description

This is what the museum is famous for in the first place. Entrance here is only available to people with healthy hearts and nerves; children and pregnant women are not allowed here. Madame Tussauds was inspired by her teacher's cabinet of horrors to create this mystical corner. The situation here is extremely dark, with deceivers, traitors, thieves and even serial killers stalking you at every turn. One of the most popular is Jack the Ripper, who committed brutal murders on the streets of London at the end of the 19th century and remained uncaught.

In the fear room, scenes of torture and executions that took place in the Middle Ages are very accurately recreated. They are given reality by real guillotines used during the Great Patriotic War. french revolution. All this chilling horror is complemented by the sounds of bones crunching under the hammer, cries for help, and the screams of prisoners. In general, before going here, you should think a hundred times.

What's so impressive about this place?

The sculptures exhibited in Madame Tussauds museums are real masterpieces. They are so similar to their originals that you won’t even notice the fake in the photo. Masters can achieve this effect by precisely observing all body proportions, height and body composition. Absolutely everything is taken into account - hair color and length, eye shape, shape of the nose, lips and eyebrows, personality traits faces. Many of the mannequins are even wearing the same clothes as the real stars.

Particularly curious visitors can see with their own eyes how famous dolls are made. At the exhibition you can look at the tools that masters need in their work, at future elements of celebrity clones and accessories that will be used in the process. By the way, many of them are given by the stars themselves.

Helpful information

An interesting fact is that at Madame Tussauds it is allowed to take photographs with the sculptures without any permission. You can touch them, shake their hand, hug them, and even kiss them. You can at least take photos of all the exhibits! It will take at least an hour to explore the collection. To be among this starry beau monde, you need to pay 25 euros per child and 30 euros per adult to the box office.

Little trick! The price of tickets if purchased on the official website of the museum is approximately 25% lower.

The time of day also affects the cost of the ticket; in the evening, after 17:00, it is slightly cheaper. You also need to consider the museum's opening hours. From Monday to Friday its doors are open from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and on weekends from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Excursions are extended by half an hour on holidays and by an hour during the tourist season, which lasts from mid-July to September.

It must be taken into account that those wishing to get into famous place there is a lot, so you will have to stand in line for at least an hour. This can be avoided if you buy a VIP ticket, which costs about 30% more than a regular ticket. Those who are going to purchase it online do not need to print the document, just present it at the entrance in electronic format. Don't forget to take your ID with you!

Madame Tussauds is not just a collection of wax figures, but a whole separate world with its inhabitants. In no other place can you meet so many stars at the same time! No matter how interesting the story about him may be, all this is definitely worth seeing with your own eyes.

Madame Tussauds is named after its founder, Marie Tussauds. However, her interest in sculpting began as early as childhood, when she wore girl's name Anna Maria Grosholz. It was she who stood at the origins of the creation of wax figures. And her business still lives and is very popular all over the world.

The story of an extraordinary sculptor

Maria's mother served in the house of Dr. Philip Curtius, who, in addition to healing, was interested in anatomy and was engaged in the creation of anatomical models, and soon began to create various custom-made wax sculptures. Little Maria often ran into his workshop and watched his work - it was then that Curtius began to teach her the skill of creating wax figures.

At the age of seventeen, Maria created her first sculpture - and it was a sculpture of Voltaire himself. Great philosopher died a few months after the modeling session, so his wax bust, displayed in the window of Curtius’s shop, greatly attracted buyers and helped the family establish a business.

Maria became Curtius's assistant - she managed his affairs, helped with organizing exhibitions and continued to make sculptures. He appreciated both the help and the girl’s talent for sculptural art, and therefore subsequently bequeathed all his works to her.

Maria Grosholz became famous for her wax figures of famous figures, so much so that she was once invited to model sculptures of members of the royal family themselves. During the advent of the French Revolution, Maria was sentenced to execution, but her chance to escape was the creation death masks from murdered royals and taking casts of revolutionary leaders such as Robespierre, Marat and others.

A few years later, Marie married Francois Tussaud, a French engineer, and gave birth to two sons, Joseph and Francois. She continued to sculpt and create wax figures famous people. But one day, having left her husband who had fallen into drunkenness, she and her children went on a trip to the islands of Britain and along the way continued to create sculptures of famous historical figures and British political figures.

This is how the first Madame Tussauds museum appeared, which at that time was a traveling exhibition - Maria took it with her during her travels.

Soon she finally moved to the British capital. So in 1835, the same Madame Tussauds museum appeared in London, and it was originally located on the famous street called Baker Street.

Fifteen years after the opening of the museum in London, Madame Tussaud passed away, but her business did not disappear thanks to her sons and grandchildren. The museum soon moved to a more prestigious area of ​​the capital, on Marylebone Road. And even despite the fact that half a century after the move, Madame Tussauds lost most of the sculptures due to fire, they were restored thanks to the surviving dummies.

The same one famous museum Madame Tussaud's wax figures, which are mainly referred to, are still in London. The museum's exhibition usually includes about four hundred wax figures.

The popularity of this place is so great that every time in front of the entrance there are huge queues of people wanting to see the creations of the Tussauds dynasty. Many of the sculptures housed in the museum were made by the hands of Mary. By the way, the wax figure of Madame Tussauds is the very first sculpture that greets viewers who enter the museum building. Its author is Madame Tussaud herself, who decided to create her own self-portrait during her lifetime.

All exhibits in the collection are divided into thematic rooms. “World Arena” is the name of the largest of these halls, which houses wax figures of famous personalities from the field of history, culture and politics from different centuries.

Visitors will also see figures from the royal family there, including Prince William, his wife Kate Middleton, brother Harry and others. Politicians of the 20th and 21st centuries are also collected here: visitors will see Indira Gandhi, Barack Obama, and many other political figures.

Separate rooms are dedicated to sports stars, musical world, Hollywood and even Indian Bollywood. Visitors are simply amazed by so many star doubles: from Freddie Mercury and Jimi Hendrix to Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, from Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston.

A separate room is dedicated to the most terrible historical events: famous maniacs, serial killers and their victims, instruments of torture and other thematic exhibits are housed there - fortunately it’s all made of wax. Unstable psyche, pregnancy and age under twelve are restrictions for visiting this room of fear.

Though main museum Madame Tussauds is located in London, as is the workshop where each figure is created, and nineteen branches of the museum have been created in nineteen cities around the world. The most famous and interesting branches of Tussauds opened in Berlin, New York and Amsterdam. Each of them contains unique sculptures, but celebrities may be repeated.

Madame Tussauds gives celebrities immortality in the form of wax figures, but some even experience a kind of regeneration. If a celebrity gets a tattoo or changes his hairstyle, then the artists can add or change this to an existing sculpture, introducing new elements, but most often the wax figure of the celebrity is completely created anew.

This is due to the fact that, unlike wax sculptures, living people tend to change over time or due to plastic surgery. For example, the figure of singer Kylie Minogue changed four times, and the wax figure of Michael Jackson, according to known reasons- thirteen times.

How wax figures are created

All visitors who come to Madame Tussauds wax museum are struck by the resemblance of the sculptures to celebrities. In particularly successful cases, the celebrity in the photo cannot be distinguished from a wax double. But not everyone knows what is behind the creation of wax figures in the museum.

• For the production of each wax sculpture it takes a huge amount of time, about three to four months, since the craftsmen carefully work out even the smallest details. About two hundred of these figures are produced annually.

• First, measurements are taken from the face and body of the person for whom they want to make a wax figure. Celebrities have to spend a lot of time in the workshop for the sculptor to assemble all the necessary information: what skin and eye color his model has, hairstyle, hair color and shape, does she have moles, scars, tattoos, etc. And in the case when a person is no longer alive, modeling masters have to be guided only by photographs.

• After the measurements are taken, you need to fix the pose of the future sculpture. For this, a metal frame is used: the lower part of the figure is formed from hard metal, and the upper part from soft metal.

• Based on the measurements, a clay model of the model is compiled - it must exactly match its real appearance. The frame is then formed using these clay casts.

• After this, it’s time for beeswax - they pour it into wet clay and wait for the figure to harden, which takes about 170 hours. After this, the sculpture is polished, if necessary, and minor imperfections are removed.

• Madame Tussauds takes a realistic approach to all the details, so the wax figures do not wear wigs - natural hair is attached to the “skin” of the sculpture’s head, strand by strand. After this, the hairstyle is formed. Working on your hair can take more than a month.

• Next comes the turn of the teeth and eyes: acrylic rubber is used to make them.

• The skin color and “makeup” of the sculpture are created using oil paints.

• The celebrities themselves usually give their own clothes and accessories to the wax figure.

The safety of each figure is monitored very carefully: the sculptures are checked before and after each exhibition day. At the same time, visitors, for example, are not prohibited from hugging a wax double to take a photo.

If you wanted to see with your own eyes what one of the most unusual museums in the world looks like - Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, then watch the following video, in which you can walk through the halls of the museum together with the author of the video:

– one of the most popular British museums, an exhibition of wax figures founded in the 19th century.

Among other wax figure exhibitions, Madame Tussauds stands out big amount exhibits and certain media promotion. The addition of new figures to the exhibition is often covered in the media and is considered a kind of recognition of the merits of the individual.

Story

The history of the creation of wax figures began long before the foundation of the exhibition or museum. Madame Tussaud, whose name was Marie Grosholtz before her marriage, was born in France in 1761. Then she and her family moved to Switzerland. Her mother got a job as a housekeeper for Dr. Phillip Curtis, who, among other things, specialized in creating wax models. Young Marie studied with the master and, at the age of 16, was able to completely independently create a figure of Voltaire.

Work with Curtis continued until his death in 1794. At this time, the future madame not only created wax doubles, but also removed death masks from the heads of victims of the French Revolution, which will play an important role in the popularity of the museum in the future. The teacher bequeathed all his created figures to Marie, and she and her extensive collection traveled throughout Europe with temporary exhibitions for several decades. Also in 1795, Marie married and took the surname Tussaud.

Marie herself also suffered during the revolution. Before she began, she was at the royal court and taught the sister of Louis XVI the art. The revolutionaries arrested Madame Tussaud and her mother, and she spent some time in prison. And it was the work of removing death masks from the heads of the nobles that allowed her to be released, as it became proof of loyalty for the revolutionaries.

In 1802, Marie Tussaud ended up in England, but was no longer able to return to mainland Europe, as the Napoleonic Wars began, affecting most of the countries. After a period of traveling around Great Britain and Ireland, Madame Tussauds, along with her family, settled in London and rented premises on the famous Baker Street. The first permanent exhibition opened here in 1836.

An important part of the exhibition was the “room of horrors”, which still exists today. It exhibited wax figures made on the basis of those very death masks collected during the revolution. It was this part of the museum that attracted a significant part of the visitors.

After Marie's death in 1850, her children continued to work on her work, and they also learned the art of creating wax sculptures. The permanent exhibition operated until 1883, when the grandson of Marie Tussaud, due to a number of factors (the modest size of the building, increased rent), decided to build his own premises on Marylebone Road, where the Tussauds Museum of London is now located.

This move for the Tussaud family brought a number of problems - the costs were too high and the business had to be sold, which was interspersed with financial squabbles between family members. Also in 1925, a fire destroyed almost the entire collection; fortunately, all the forms were preserved and the figures were quickly restored. Once again they had to be restored after being hit by an aerial bomb in 1940. Meanwhile, the popularity of wax figures only grew; Madame Tussauds London became one of the most popular in the whole of Great Britain and today there are more than 20 branches around the world.

Tussauds London

Usually, when they talk about Madame Tussauds, they mean exactly main exhibition in London. Today, this museum is owned by the Merlin Entertainments group, which owns a number of other museums, entertainment venues and attractions, including the London Eye, Aquarium, Lego Park, etc. Madame Tussauds occupies a special place as it is one of the main attractions of London, with Since its opening, it was visited by 500 million people.

There are about 400 wax figures on permanent display in London. Most of them are dedicated to musicians, movie stars, and politicians. Some of them refer to celebrities of the past. There are also figures dedicated to artistic characters, so the largest wax figure belongs to the Hulk, and the smallest to the fairy Tinker Bell. At the same time, some celebrities are presented precisely in the form of characters or their stage images, as an example - Johnny Depp, depicted as Captain Jack Sparrow. The figures do not remain in the museum forever; part of the exhibition is initially temporary, usually these are thematic exhibitions for the release of popular films, but other figures may be removed as visitors’ interest in them declines.

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is very different from other similar exhibitions in its care for visitors. Most of the figures, except for especially valuable exhibits such as those that have survived from the time of Marie herself, are not fenced off from visitors. You can freely approach them, hug them, and take pictures.

Current exhibitions

Thematic exhibitions at Madame Tussauds London are constantly changing. But a number of themed rooms remain unchanged:

At the same time, the museum keeps up with the times and, depending on certain events and the popularity of franchises, temporary exhibitions are organized. One of the modern and progressive parts of the exhibition is dedicated to Youtube and its stars. Another part of the museum is themed with the Marvel characters that have taken over movie screens in the last few years, as well as a special area dedicated to the revived Star Wars franchise.

• The wax figure most attractive to women, according to workers, belongs to Justin Timberlake. He gets more hugs than any other exhibit. There is one problem with this for the museum: its image is complemented by a snow-white suit, which gets dirty very quickly.
• And among women, visitors consider Kylie Minogue the sexiest. In any case, her wax figure (already the 4th in the history of the museum) receives the most kisses.
• The total number of visitors over almost 200 years of operation of the museum was 500 million people. On average, this is about 3 million in one year.
• Some of the figures, as already mentioned in the note about Kylie Minogue, are being remade. This mainly applies to celebrities at the peak of their fame. for a long time. But the record belongs to the Queen of Great Britain, who has been redesigned more than 20 times so that her appearance matches as closely as possible the current appearance of the Queen, who, unfortunately for the British, is definitely not getting any younger over the years.
• The oldest of the figures was created in the 18th century. She depicts the sleeping Countess DuBarry, lover and favorite of Louis XV. Interestingly, this wax figure also has mechanical parts.
• Some celebrities voluntarily donate personal items for the exhibition, but if we're talking about about dead people, the museum tries to buy the necessary things at auctions.
• Celebrities often visit the museum and take pictures with their replicas. But in 2010, Ozzy Osbourne personally took the place of his figure (albeit at the New York branch) and scared unsuspecting guests who sat nearby for a photo.

Hitler figure

Madame Tussauds could not ignore the controversial personality of Hitler. This exhibit was not only popular for viewing by visitors, it was also the most frequently subject to vandalism and criticism. But the most curious incident occurred not in London, but in Berlin. In 2008, a visitor cut off the head of a Hitler figure. Although it turned out that he did this not because of political motives, but as a bet with a friend.

In London, another problem was connected with Hitler at Madame Tussauds. Many visitors, taking photographs with the exhibit, raised their hand in Nazi salute. The administration had to take action against this after a number of publications in the media, warning visitors about the inadmissibility of such behavior.

But the story ended in January 2016. Scandals involving Nazi salutes among visitors allowed the Jewish community to collect enough signatures to convince the museum administration to completely remove the wax figure of Hitler from Madame Tussauds' exhibition in London. At the same time, in other branches of the museum, the Hitlers may be present among other world leaders.

Making wax figures

Decisions about the creation and inclusion of a figure in the Tussauds Museum exhibition are made at meetings of the management committee. After this, the craftsmen begin to work, about 20 people work on each figure for 4 months, and the final cost of the figure, taking into account all costs, is, on average, 150 thousand dollars.

Most of the celebrities whose figures appear at the exhibition take an active part in this. To ensure the accuracy of the image, casts and measurements are taken of faces and figures, and many people then donate items of personal clothing for their own copies, which adds even more authenticity to the exhibits.

Finished figures are serviced by a special team of workers. Every day, shortly before opening, each of the exhibited wax copies is checked, cleaned of dust, and makeup is corrected. Models also periodically wash their hair and wash their clothes.

Madame Tussauds museums around the world

The museum in London is the first, most famous and largest, but the network already has more than 20 branches around the world. Six museums operate in the USA, another 6 in Europe, 8 exhibitions under the Tussauds brand have already opened in Asia, and the last one is in Australia. Some exhibitions are closing, others are preparing to open, so their number is not constant, but in general it is growing from year to year.