How a French wax sculptor survived the guillotine to build a global empire

Art · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Marie Tussaud learned the art of wax modeling from Philippe Curtius in Paris, eventually inheriting his collection in 1794. After narrowly escaping execution during the French Revolution, she transformed her craft into a traveling exhibition, eventually establishing her permanent London museum that remains a cultural icon today.

Marie Tussaud, born in 1761, was trained in the intricate craft of wax modeling by Philippe Curtius. Curtius was a pioneer who moved to Paris in 1765 to establish a wax portraiture firm. Tussaud showed early talent, creating her first figure—a portrait of Voltaire—in 1777. By the late 18th century, wax modeling was a well-established art form, with practitioners like Antonio Abondio and Gaetano Giulio Zumbo gaining fame for their portrait medallions and anatomical models. Tussaud’s work was part of this long tradition, which utilized beeswax for its ability to be shaped at room temperature and its capacity to hold fine surface tints.

The French Revolution brought Tussaud into the heart of political turmoil. She was perceived as a royal sympathizer and faced arrest during the Reign of Terror, reportedly having her head shaved in preparation for the guillotine. She claimed that she survived by securing employment to create death masks and body casts of prominent victims, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. While these memoirs provide a dramatic account of her survival, historians note that contemporary evidence for many of her specific claims remains elusive.

Following the death of Curtius in 1794, Tussaud inherited his collection. After the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, she traveled to London to exhibit her work. Unable to return to France due to the Napoleonic Wars, she spent decades touring the British Isles. In 1835, she finally established a permanent exhibition in London's Baker Street. Her legacy persisted through her descendants, who continued the family business. Today, the museum has expanded into a global network of attractions, marking a transition from the 18th-century tradition of wax portraiture to a modern commercial enterprise.

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