November
20
/ 2022
Behind the glitz and glam of modern-day waxworks of the likes of Donald Trump or Michael Jackson, lies the blood-soaked history of the French Revolution. In fact, the renowned Madam Tussaud franchise has generated a lucrative venture built on the back of beheadings. Born as Marie Grosholtz in 1761, the future Madam Tussaud started out as the apprentice of Philippe Curtius, a Swiss wax modeler who ended up opening the Salon de Cire in Paris. Before the advent of television and photography, wax portraits provided incredibly life-like depictions which became a magnetic form of entertainment, providing political commentary on current events. Under Curtius, Grosholtz became an expert at creating realistic portraits, incorporating human hair, teeth, mannequin bodies and often a
