A New Life in Britain
Madame Tussaud first showed her waxworks at the Lyceum Theatre in London. The show was not a tremendous financial success. However, whether she wanted to remain in Britain or not, Madame Tussaud soon found she had little choice. War had broken out between Britain and Napoleonic France, making it impossible for the now 42-year-old artist and her small son to return home. Alone, with only a poor command of the English language, Madame Tussaud had to survive somehow.
Many of the figures in Madame Tussauds’ collection were victims of the Guillotine. Tussaud quickly realized the tragedy of the French revolution had captured the imagination of the British middle Class and that they would pay- and pay well- to see the actual features of such tragic figures as Louise XVI and his Queen. So she took her characters on tour, visiting cities and small provincial towns as a way of keeping herself and her little son. Her reputation as an artist was significantly enhanced when she received a prestigious commission from a member of the British royal family: Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, the Duchess of York.
This nomadic life continued for the next twenty tears. By the time it was possible to return to France in 1822, Madame Tussaud had no desire to do so. She now had a lucrative business in Britain, which was joined by her long-lost son Francois, as soon as they reunited. As for her husband, the estrangement of two decades was insurmountable. The couple never saw each other again.
In 1835, after 33 years of touring, Madame Tussauds and her waxworks finally put down permanent roots. The exhibitions’ first permanent home was on London’s’ Baker Street, where Madame Tussaud set up her figures from revolutionary France, plus new additions such as Sir Walter Scott and Horatio Nelson, in tableaux’s of historical events. The exhibition was a major success. It was first branded ‘The Chamber of Horrors” by Punch in 1845, because of the terrible events portrayed by the waxworks.
On April 16, 1850, Marie Tussaud died peacefully in her sleep. She had survived revolutions and wars and made a name for herself as an artist and a canny businesswoman, as well as a survivor. She had also created a legacy for her family. Her son, Francois, continued as its chief artist, to be followed by his son and grandson. It is a legacy, which, although no longer directly in the Tussaud familys’ hands, survives to this day.