The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-07-23
FAMOUS WAX ARTIST
Mime. Tussaud Had an Exciting
and Dramatic Career.
IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

During That Era of BIoodshed She
4 Modelled Some OF the Heads That Fell
by the Guillotine and Was For q
Time In Prison Herself as Suspect.
This is the story OF Mime. Tussaud,
who was born I'm Berne in 17G0 and
died In London in 1850. and who. dur
1ng the stormy time of the French rev.
olution, modelled In wax some of the
heads that fell by the gulllotlne.
Marie Gresholtz was the daughter of
an aid.de-camp of General Wurmser
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 DIR. Curtius hnd made many
anatomical and other models In wax
and had attracted the attention OF the
Prince de Cont This nobleman urged
Curtius to come to Paris and establish
himself as n modeler in wax.
The Curtius studio became the rem
devious of the fashionable world. and
in connection with this he had muse
um of curiosities. Among his patrons
were Voltaire, Jean Jacques, Rous-
seau, Mesmer, Mirabeau, Diderot, Ben
jamin Franklin, Paul Jones and many
other notable persons.
In his visits to his sister Mt Berne
DR.. Curtius had 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 his daugh-
ter.
Marie began earnest study with DR..
Curtius, and she was so skillful In
the modelling of wax flowers that this
art became craze. Even the royal
personages In the palace took II up.
and Marie spent some time giving les
sons to Nine. Elizabeth, the young sis
ter Of Louis XVI.
When the revolution broke out DIR.
Curtius took the side of the people and
sent for Marie to come from the pal
ace. 1t was rather singular that two
OF his wax models should have played
a foremost part in the opening scenes
OF that awful period. In his collec-
tion Of models was bust of the min
lister, Secker, father of Nine. de Stael,
and one of Philippe. duke of Or
leans. Two days before the stormlng
OF the Bastlle mob took these two
busts from his museum I'm 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 dragoons
and one of the regiments charged. A
sword stroke cut the bust OF Necker
in halves, and the man who was carry
ing Il was hit by n 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 fight to de-
fend Ii several persons were killed.
The soldiers made desperate efforts to
demolsh It.
At the tuxlng of the Bastllle Dr. Cur
thus was active and for his services to
France was rewarded by the national
assembly. A badge 81 honor was pre-
sented to him. and this was inscribed
with the famous date and memorial
OF his bravery and patriotism. His
house was favorlte place of meeting
with the lenders 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 guillotine and
who was later the Josephine Of Napo-
leon Bonaparte. Her uncle was able
TO get Marles release from prison. and
she came out In time to see the down
fall of Robesplerre, Danton and Des-
moulins.
! III 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
Iamballe. the queens friend. When
the leaders suffered by the gullotine
in their turn she modelled their heads.
| After the revolution her uncle died,
and In 1895 she married M. Tussaud.
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