Tussaud, Marie

orig. Marie Grosholtz

(born Dec. 1, 1761, Strasbourg, France—died April 16, 1850, London, Eng.) French British founder of Madame Tussaud's museum of wax figures in London. From 1780 until the French Revolution, she served as art tutor to Louis XVI's sister. During the Reign of Terror she made death masks from heads—frequently those of her friends—freshly severed by the guillotine. In 1802 she moved to Britain with her collection of wax models. Her museum contains a variety of historical figures, including the original models she made of her great contemporaries, including Voltaire and Benjamin Franklin. By the turn of the 21st century, branches of her museum were located throughout the world.

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