Madame Tussauds

Marie Tussaud started training in wax modelling as a child. She had big success in her native France, even avoiding the guillotine during the French Revolution because of her wax-working skills. But it was in Britain where she forged her legacy. She toured the British Isles with her waxworks from 1802 to 1835, an incredible feat during a time where most married women didn’t work, before opening her museum on Baker Street.

Her most notorious creation was her ‘Chamber of Horrors’, which featured sculptures of Victorian criminals. Madame Tussaud died in London in 1850 and her sons carried on the business. Today, Madame Tussauds remains one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions and has become a British export, with museums in major cities all over the world.

Image: Chronicle/Alamy Stock Photo