The wax world of Madame Tussauds

Entering Madame Tussauds’ wax museum means confronting abiotic doppelgangers of the many faces we have grown to know. All around the world, the walls of these museums preserve life in the most oxymoronic fashion. What once began as a mere artistic touring exhibition now looms, anchoring itself in history. Today, this very name resounds as a cultural phenomenon.

Legendary Singer Asha Bhosle with the wax statue of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit:
SUDERSHAN V/The Hindu

Who is this Madame?

Anne Marie Tussaud née Grosholtz was a French girl born in Strasbourg on 1 December 1761. She was quite a determined and extremely creative human being. France at the time of her birth was going through immense hardships, crisis, and tensions. Such a ground was preparing itself for a revolution to come.

Her mom took Marie to Bern, Switzerland where she spent her early years. Marie learnt to sculpt wax figures from Philippe Mathé Curtius, a trained doctor and native of Switzerland in whose house Marie’s mom worked as a housekeeper. Curtius, who had started dabbling in wax due to his profession quickly became a master (he was also a painter and hence was artistic in nature) and expert of sculpting anatomical wax figures (his medical training aiding his precision). Marie was exposed to the idea of wax museums and exhibitions from Curtius who had inculcated them into the elite Swiss and later French consciousness.

The art got popular. Paris, which was undeniably the French cultural epicentre, had to bring the two there. Thus, young Marie and Curtius, now in Paris, began a full-fledged career in wax-modelling.

Wax figure of Marie Tussaud in Vienna.
| Photo Credit:
Wikimedia Commons

18 year-old Marie Tussaud used to give wax-modelling lessons to King Louis XVI’s sister, Madame Élisabeth.

The history of wax-modelling spans centuries, with ancient civilisations like Egyptian, Greek, Romans, etc. making wax models of people for display. This was especially seen during occasions of death. The late 1700s France, was enamoured towards wax-modelling.

French Revolution

With the shift in politics from elite to ordinary, the meanings embedded in art began to change. While newspapers, theatre, etc. were suppressed, censored, and monitored on one hand, wax works escaped scrutiny on the other and became powerful visual media, providing information and reflecting the atmosphere. Philippe Curtius vigorously grew his business and actively supported the revolution. Though profits had taken a hard hit due to the struggling economy, the business, run by both Marie and Curtius, still went on.

Did you know?

Madame Tussauds’ first wax figure was of Voltaire, one of the greatest writers France has ever seen. It was sculpted in 1777. In fact, Voltaire was a frequent visitor at Philippe Curtius’ Paris home.

Marie had to make wax masks of many guillotined aristocrats including her former employers, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, in order to show her loyalty to the Revolution.

Curtius died due to illness in the midst of the revolution, the same year that Robespierre died, marking a turn in the life of both Marie and the French Revolution. Curtius left his business entirely to Marie, who after marrying François Tussaud, became Madame Tussaud.

Nomad dies at London

Soon after the official conclusion of the revolution, Tussauds started a travelling exhibition for her waxworks. She came to Britain and quickly developed fame and reputation as a sculptor. 18th Century England had notable numbers of female sculptors as well as female entrepreneurs. Tussauds found her place. The people of Britain found the “Separate Room” gallery of the exhibition fascinating for it featured wax death masks of famous guillotine victims of the French Revolution. Death, thus lived through wax. The nomadic exhibition lived so, for over 30 years. In 1835, the exhibition permanently settled in London; the nomad eternally put to rest.

1930: People queuing in the rain outside Madame Tussaud’s Waxworks in London.
| Photo Credit:
Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

Madame Tussauds died in 1850, aged 88.

The original “Madame Tussauds London”, that sits on the Marylebone road in London was moved there from its original position in Baker Street Bazaar by Tussauds’ grandsons in 1884.

The wax life

As the business expanded, more hands were needed on deck. Talented sculptors were employed to carry the wax-modelling process that takes months to complete (3 to 4 months at least!). Several hands work on the sculpture, including not just sculptors but also hair specialists, colourists, etc. A total of about 10 different artists/specialists are responsible for the wax figures you can see and enjoy at Madame Tussauds.

Madame Tussaud’s sculptor, Jean Fraser, models her portrait of artist Pablo Picasso in clay at the famous London Waxworks.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Archives

Step by step

1. Photo time: The person who is going to get modelled, will give all their body measurements to the team of artists. The person will pose and countless numbers of pictures are taken as well from different angles to ensure maximum accuracy. At any point, if there’s a doubt, the artists can refer back to the pictures and all other data. Hair specialists will pick the right hair texture and tone after comparing samples. Colour specialists take care of the right colour.

Indian cricket player Virat Kohli posing for a picture while selecting the eyeball model for his wax double.
| Photo Credit:
AFP

2. Clay figure: Once basic data is received, a clay figure of the person is made as accurately as possible. Teeth casts are also made using dental records and with the help of a dentist.

3. Mould: A moulding engineer makes the plaster mould for all parts such as head, hands, body, etc. Head and hand moulds are filled with wax whereas body mould is filled with fibreglass. The body is not made of wax as it’ll be too heavy and will sag.

Jo Kinsey, hair and colour artist at Madame Tussaud’s, puts the finishing touches to the wax head of Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage.
| Photo Credit:
PA Images via Getty Images

4. Salon finish: Oil paints are mixed vigorously with turpentine to obtain neat flesh tones and achieve the tiniest details on the wax double. Hairstyles require almost all products that we use on our hair like rollers, curling irons, etc. The artists taking care of hair need to make sure every strand is meticulously fitted and styled to perfection. The double is clothed and styled as required.

5. Inspection and ready for show: Inspection is done to make sure everything’s perfect and then the sculpture is transported to whichever Madame Tussauds exhibition it has been decided to go to.

Published – January 13, 2026 11:00 am IST