Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-08-27
FAMOUS WAX ARTIST.
Mime. Tussaud Had an Exciting and
Dramatic Career.

Mime. Tussaud Had an Exciting and
Dramatic Career.
This is the story Of Nine. Tussaud,
who was born in Berne in 1850 and
died in London in 1850, and who, dur
ing the stormy time of the French rev.
olution. modelled in wax some OF the
heads that fell by the guillotine.
Marie Gresholtz was the daughter
of an aid-de-camp Of General Wurms-
er in the Seven Years war. She was
born after the death Of her father.
Her mother was the sister of DR..
John Christopher Curtius Of Berne.
This DR.. Curtius had made many ana
tomical and. other models in wax and
had attracted the attention of the
Prince de Cont. This nobleman urg-
ed Curtius to come to Paris and es-
tablish himself as a modeler In wax.
The Curtius studio became the rem
devious Of the fashionable world, and
in connection with this he had a mu-
scum of curiosities. Among his pa
irons were Voltaire, Jean Jacques,
Rousseau, Mesmer, Mirabeau, Dider-
OF, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Jones
and many other notable persons.
In his visits to his sister at Berne
DIR. Curtis had taught his niece, Ma
rie, many of the secrets of modelling
in wax. She showed such ability In
this that her uncle urged her mother
to make a home with him in Paris
and to allow him to adopt Marie as
his daughter.
Marie began earnest study with
DR.. Curtius, and she was so skillful in
the modelling of wax flowers that this
art became a craze. Even the royal
personages in the palace took 1t up.
and Marie spent some time giving
lessons to Nine. Elizabeth, the young
sister Of Louis XVI.
When the revolution broke out DR..
Curtius took the side Of the people
and sent for Marie to come from the
palace. It was rather singular that
two Of his wax models should have
played foremost part in the opening
scenes of that awful period. In his
collection Of models was the bust Of
the minister, Necker, father of Nine.
de Stael, and one Of Philippe, duke Of
Orleans. Two days before the storm
ing of the Bastille, a mob took these
two busts from his museum in the
Palais Royal, draped them in black
Grape to show their sympathy and
started to parade the streets with
these
AS the procession filed across the
Place Vendome O troop Of dragons
and one Of the regiments charged. A
sword stroke cut the bust Of Necker in
halves, and the man who was carry
ing it was hit by a musket ball in the
leg and received the thrust Of a sword
in his breast.
The bust Of the duke Of Orleans es-
capped injury, but in the fight to de-
fend 1t several persons were killed.
The soldiers made desperate efforts
to demolish it.
At the taking Of the Bastille DR..
Curtius was active and for his SER
vices to France was rewarded by the
national assembly. A badge Of honor
was presented to him, and this was
inscribed with the famous date and a
memorial Of his bravery and patriot
ism His house was q favorite place
of meeting with the leaders Of the
revolution, so Marie had an opportu-
nifty to see them all.
There was only one time when Ma
rie was in any danger during this des-
perate period. She was suspected"
and sent to prison. Here at the same
time was Nine. de Beauharnais, who
had barely escaped the guillotine and
who was later the Josephine Of Ma
poleon Bonaparte. Her uncle was
able to get Marie's release from pris-
on, and she came out in time to see
the downfall Of RobspierTe, Danton
and Desmoulins.
In the days of their power she had
been called to model the heads of
many who fell by the guillotine. She
was obliged to take them just after
the fall of the fatal knife. She did
this awful work with the heads Of
poor Marie Antoinette and Of the
Princess Lamballe, the queens friend.
When the leaders suffered by the
guillotine in their turn she modelled
their heads.
After the revolution her uncle died,
and in 1895 she married M. Tussaud
She could not overcome the shock of
her experiences during the revolution,
and she persuaded her husband to
take her and the valuable collections
of wax models left her by Dr. Curtius
over to England.
They established this collection in
the Strand. The collection was taken
all about the country, and in 1888 it
was brought back to London and
made a permanent exhibition. Her
sons conducted the business, and she
took an active share in this till she
was eighty years of age.-Boston
Globe.
Geographical knowledge In 1872