GRIM STORY OF TUSSAUDS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 50, 1 March 1939, Page 5

GRIM STORY OF TUSSAUDS

London's Famous Rendezvous

n Ip Australians and New Zealanders ■ know ot “Madame Tussaud’s,” ev<i those who have never visited Ldtdon. For “Tussaud s” in Maryleboe Road is not only an exhibition, bit a public institution, writes Jean Cheriton in the Sydney Morning lerald. It would be difficult to find a Londoner who has not been there more than once, and the same could be said of almost all visitors from abroad, even if they don’t admit it. Perhaps the popularity of the waxworks is attributable to their combination of humour with horror, as well as their very real historical interest. The original "exhibition" in London was displayed at the old Lyceum Theatre in 1802. Later, it toured the most important towns of the provinces. Coming back to London in 1835, it settled in Baker Street, until in 1884, it was transferred to its present site, adjoining Baker Street station. In 1925 it was destroyed by fire. In an hour, nothing was left, except the contents of •The Chamber of Horrors," which, curiously enough, was little damaged. Happily, the priceless moulds of the figures were saved, and reconstruction was possible. "Tussaud’s Exhibition" rose again upon its old site, and reopened its doors on April 26. 1928 one realises how the modellers must have worked to have achieved this in the space of time • two years!, for the exhibits were even more numerous than formerly. Interesting Origin. It was in 1762 that John Christopher Curtius. on the invitation of the Prince de Condi, left his native town of Berne, in Switzerland, to live in Paris. He was a very skilful modeller in wax, and his talent won him great success. His studio in the Hotel Aligre, an old mansion in the Rue St Honore. became the rendezvous of all those distinguished in fashionable and intellectual life in the French capital. Voltaire. Diderot. Jean Jasques Rousset. . Mirabeau, and the famous American Ambassador. Benjamin Franklin. V’crz amongst its habitues. H:s niece and pupil, made her home with him. and this girl. Marie Gresholz. Shoved such extraordinary proficiency in modelling that she soon outrivalled her master. one made models in wax, the fashionab.e craze nf the day. Later on, Madame Elizabeth, sister of Louis XVI. invited her to take up her residence at Versailles, and give lessons to the ladies of the Court. In these Royal s.rrjundings, she spent nine years of her life. Leanwhile. Monsieur Curtius. in addition to his collection of portraits of celebrated persons, which he exhibited in the Palais Royal, opened another on the Boulevard du Temple, which he called "The Caverne des Grands Volears." and filled with portraits of criminals, and other notorious people. Curtius. becoming alarmed at the storm clouds gathering over France, and alive to the danger that might threaten his niece at Versailles, recalled her from her perilous position to the safety of his own home. Nevertheless, it was there on the 12th July. 1879, that she experienced her first sight of mob violence. An angry crowd came surging to their very doors, demanding, with threats, effigies of its heroes to carry in rioters’ procession through the streets of Paris. In the tragic years that followed. Marie Gresholz was destined to pass through many painful experiences. riots, revolution, and the

Reign of Terror. Models of many victims were demanded, and who could do these as well as the clever young woman at Curtius’s Cabinet de Cire? She was compelled again and again to ■ work and take impressions of the dead 1 features of many who had been her I friends in the happy Versailles days. I One terrible memory was the sight of ' the mangled head of the beautiful young Princess de Lamballe, brought to I her with a brusque order to copy it. She pleaded in vain that it was impossible for her to do so. but was forced | tfi comply. Madame Tussaud. For a time she was thrown into prison, sharing captivity with Josephine de Baeuharnis. afterwards Napoleons first wife. Eventually she was released, Monsieur .J. Curtius had died in 1795, and Marie Gerholz married Francois Tussaud. As Madame Tussaud, she took the opportunity afforded by the Peace of Amiens and left France to journey to England in 1802. bringing with her many moulds and effigies from her uncle’s exhibition. including his “Caverne des Grands Voleurs.” the original of the presentday “Chamber of Horrors.” Madame Tussaud lived to the great ; age of ninety, and a list of the distini guished people from Royalty downward ! who have visited her exhibition would I epitomise the Victorean era to the 1 present day. “Tussaud’s” has always been a family I affair. To-day. John Tussaud is a director and he is the great-grandson of the original Madame Tussaud. Bernard Tussaud, who is now the chief modeller, ‘ is a great-grandson. Three Misses TusI saud (great-granddaughters) are also i connected with the business. It interested me to learn that the figures have real hair, each hair being inserted in the head seperately. Heads and hands are renewed every three months, and between-whiles the hair is shampooed and the faces carefully washed. As you enter the exhibition you pass ■ through a most awe-inspiring entrance j foyer, upstairs, to the general hall. One passes several attendants on the : way up, and the difficulty is to find ' which are real and which are wax. , I watched one, who remained as still • as a model till people were right upon • him and then he gave out instructions i in a loud voice. The result was that : several people nearly jumped out of . their skins. 1 However, in the end he had the worst of it, for even as I watched a little old gentleman, coming from the side, poked him in the back with an umbrella and made him jump. In the main hall in a ' little niche to themselves are the Duke | and Duchess of Windsor, both some- ' how much shorter than one imagined, I otherwise the likeness is exceptionally I good. The main exhibition is given over to figures of hundreds of Royal and famous persons, past and present, and there are many realistic tableaux. Downstairs is the Chamber of Horrors. Frankly, I found this not so terrible as I had imagined, though I quickly passed that gruessome exhibit, “Torture of the Hooks.” with plenty of blood about —too unpleasant, to take more than a peep at. I The murderers left me quite unmoved. They seemed such mild ordinary. uninteresting looking men. But Mrs. Dyer, the strangler of babies entrusted to her care, had a ghastly face, and I hastened upstairs and back to normal again.