Madame Marie Tussaud Quiz | People

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1. Born in 1760/1761 Marie Grosholtz grew up in the home of Dr. Philippe Curtius where her mother worked as a housekeeper. In France Dr. Curtius became famous for his skillful figures made of what substance?

Answer: Wax

While visiting Switzerland the Prince de Conti (Louis XV's cousin) had been so taken with the realism of Dr. Curtius' wax portraits and figures that he offered to sponsor him. Due to the dictates of the sponsorship, Dr. Curtius and his household, including Marie and her mother, moved to Paris, France. Marie later described her relationship with Dr. Curtius as being that of, "her uncle who afterwards assumed towards her the character of a father" and that "he legally adopted her as his child".

2. Under Dr. Curtius' artistic training Marie Grosholtz became masterful at creating lifelike figures. In fact, when only nineteen years old she received an invitation from Versailles to teach modelling to which member(s) of the royal family?

Answer: Princess Elizabeth, Louis XVI's sister.

Princess Elizabeth and Marie became close friends despite the socio-economic gulf between them. Marie was even given living quarters at Versailles to allow Princess Elizabeth the constant enjoyment of her company.

3. While working with Dr. Curtius during the French Revolution, which of the following activities did Marie Grosholtz perform?

Answer: All of the answers are correct.

The National Assembly ordered Marie to cast the severed heads of enemies of the republic. Among those whose decapitated heads she cast were: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Princesse de Lamballe, and Robespierre.

Marie also cast and modelled Marat while he was still lying murdered in his bath. His assassin, Charlotte Corday, was modeled both before and after her decapitation.

It was the wax heads of revolutonary favorites Necker (finance minister) and the Duc d'Orleans, which were lent to the mob to appease them. However, the mob also requested the life sized figure of King Louis XVI, which was denied them due to Curtius' protestations that it was too fragile to travel.

4. Marie Grosholtz met many of the leading artists, philosophers, and politicians both in her professional capacity and in social situations - including Dr. Curtius' dinner parties. According to her memoirs, which of the following encounters occurred?

Answer: Robespierre called her a "pretty patriot".

During the "Terror" a compliment as well as an insult received from Robespierre would have been enough to worry anyone. The winds of revolution blew hot and cold so that anyone on the A-list today could be on the chopping block tomorrow.

Among the other encounters Marie noted in her memoirs were that the King's brother had attempted to kiss her. Voltaire also had patted her on the head and complimented her on her "beautiful black eyes". The most fruitful encounters were with the premier artist of the French Revolution, David, who repeatedly invited her to view his paintings. It is known that Marie modelled David who was sensitive about a wen on his face. This suggests that they developed a degree of friendship that supports the contention that on particular projects they may have collaborated. The most famous example being that of Marie's tableau and David's painting of Marat, martyr of the Revolution.

5. Marie Grosholtz, her mother, and an aunt were denounced as royalists while Dr. Curtius was out of the country. In her memoirs, she recalled that the internment cell at La Force Prison held twenty or more women including one that was soon to become a historical icon. Which of these was it?

Answer: Josephine Beauharnais, future Empress of France

That these women came extremely close to execution is evidenced by the fact that their hair was cropped closely once a week in preparation for the guillotine.

6. In 1794, Dr. Curtius died leaving Marie with a legacy of three valuable properties including the Boulevard du Temple waxworks and its contents. However, financial difficulties evenutally led the now married Marie Grosholtz Tussaud to take which of the following measure(s) to secure financial stability?

Answer: Taking the waxwork exhibition on tour in Europe.

On October 18, 1795 Marie married an engineer named Francois Tussaud. Francois was 8 years younger than Marie, with him being only 26 years old to her 34 years. Although three children were born to the couple it was not a happy marriage. Between Francois not being successful in helping to manage the waxworks, his gambling addiction, and the depressed economy of post-Revolutionary France Marie was forced to begin touring her waxworks across Europe.

The money she made and sent home did little to offset losses even though the French economy dramatically improved with Napoleon's ascension to the throne. Eventually the properties inherited from Dr. Curtius were sold out of necessity to pay outstanding bills.

7. Madame Marie Tussaud's exhibition was very popular while touring countries such as England, Scotland, and Ireland. Although there were existing waxworks in these countries, what gave Marie an advantage in the market?

Answer: All answers are correct.

Marie's exhibition was so popular that she consistently outsold the magic show of her first and only partner, Paul de Philipstal. In fact, the tour would not have been profitable without her waxwork attraction.

8. The Chamber of Horrors became famous for its realistic representations of criminals and, in some cases, their victims. What especially grisly souvenier of the French Revolution was Marie Tussaud able to procure for display?

Answer: The original guillotine blade used for executions.

Many of these early tableaux are still exhibited at Madame Tussaud's in London. One of the most popular tableaus depicts Marie tiptoeing around corpses through a lantern lit Madeleine Cemetery looking for heads to cast. In another exhibit the heads of victims of the Revolution impaled on pikes still give one cause to reflect on the true meaning of "terror". Most amazing of all is that the executioner Sanson's original guillotine blade and lunette survived years of hard travel and appear to be, chillingly, ready for use.

9. In 1836, after 27 years of touring, Madame Tussaud (now 75 years old) decided to establish a permanent wax museum location. Fulfilling a desire to leave a legacy for her children, Madame Tussaud and Sons' Exhibition on Baker Street opened in which well known location?

Answer: London, England.

A frequent visitor profoundly affected by his experiences at Madame Tussaud's was Charles Dickens. In his column, "Eyewitness to Baker Street", he provided a detailed vignette of the visitors, exhibits, and ambience experienced during a visit. Also, in "The Old Curiosity Shop" he painted a thinly disguised caricature of Madame Tussaud as the socially ambitious waxworks owner, "Mrs. Jarley".

The author Kate Berridge further suggests that Dickens' experiences among Tussaud's tableaux and paraphernalia of the French Revolution significantly influenced the writing of "A Tale of Two Cities".

10. Madame Marie Tussaud established one of the most successful entertainment venues in history. In 2006 it was estimated that over 200 million visitors had viewed her waxworks. Wax museums bearing her name are not only found in London, but in which of the following cities?

Answer: Washington, D. C.

Ironically, Paris does not have a Madame Tussauds (the apostrophe has now been dropped) although it is the city where her empire was given birth. It is also rather surprising that in the cities of her earlier touring triumphs (e.g., Belfast, Edinburgh) there are none to be found. However, Madame Tussauds now has additional exhibitions in Amsterdam, Berlin,Hollywood, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, New York, and Shanghai. I suspect that Dickens would approve : )

Sources:

Berridge, Kate (2006). Madame Tussaud: A Life in Wax. Morrow/HarperCollins Publishers: New York, NY.

Chapman, Pauline (1984). Madame Tussaud's Chamber of Horrors: Two Hundred Years of Crime. Constable: London, England.

Source: Author DR.NO

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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Madame Marie Tussaud Trivia Quiz

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