The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1909-09-15
FAMOUS WAX ARTIST
Nine. Tussaud Had an Exciting
and Dramatic Career.
IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

During That Era Of BIoodshed She
Modelled Some Of the Heads That Fell
BY the bulletins and Was Fer .
Time In Prison Herself ~ . Suspect.
This Is the story OF Mime. Tussaud.
who was born In Berne IN 1T6o 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 aidde-camp Of General Wurmser
In the Seven Years war. She was
born after the death OF Der father.
Her mother was the sister Of DIR.
John Christoph0 Curtius OF Berne.
This DIR. Curtius had made many
anatomical and other models IN wax
and had attracted the attention Of the
Prince de CONT This nobIeman urged
Curtius to come TO Paris and establish
! himself as q modeler In wax.
The Curtius studio became the rem
devious of the fashionable world. and
in connection with this be bad a muse
um Of curiOsities. Among bis patrons
were voltaire. Jean 6cques. Nous
seau. Mesmer. Mirabeau. Diderot. Ben
jamin Franklin. Paul Jones and many
other notable persons
In his visits TO his sister at Berne
DR.. Curtius bad taught his niece. Marie.
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 bis daugh-
ter.
Marie began earnest study with DR.
Curfius. and she was so skillful IN
the modelling OF wax flowers that this
art became q craze. Even the royal
personages in the palace took IL mp.
and Marie spent some time giving les
sons TO Mime. Elizabeth. the young sis
ter Of Louis XVI.
When the revolution broke DOT DR..
Curtius took toe side of the people and
sent for Marie to come from the PAL
ace. IL was rather singular that two
of his wax models should have played
a foremost part In the opening scenes
Of that awful period. 10 his coliec-
ton of models was a bust Of the min
lister. Necker. father Of Nine. de Stael.
and one OF Philippe. duke Of Or
leans Two days before the storming
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 a 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 II was hit by musket ball In the
leg and received the thrust Of a sword
In his breast.
The bust OF the Duke OF Orleans
escaped injury. but in the eight 10 de-
fend IL several persons were killed.
The soldiers made desperate efforts to
demolish II.
At the taking of the Bastille DR.. Cur
thus was active and for his services TO
France was rewarded by the national
assembly. A badge Of honor was pre-
scented to him. aud this was Inscribed
with the famous date and a memorial
Of his bravery and patriotism. His
house was favorite place of meeting
with the leaders Of the revolution. so
Marie had an opportunity to see them
all.
There was only one time when Marie
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 guilIotine and
who was later the Josephine of Napo-
leon Bonaparte. Her uncle was able
to get Mari"'s release from prison. and
she came out In time TO see the down
fall Of Robespierre. Danton and Des-
moulins.
In the days of their power she had
been eatled 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 l79o she married N. 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 Or. Curtius
over to England.
They established this collection IN
the Strand. The collection was taken
all about the country. and In 1888 1t
was brought back to London and made
q permanent exhibition. Her sons con-
Quoted the business. and she took an
active share in this till she was eighty
years Of age.-Boston Globe.