Transcriber’s Note: Illustrations have been moved from the originalposition of the printed plates, in order to correspond better with theflow of the text. The List of Illustrations therefore isn’t strictlyaccurate in regard to where the illustrations may be found. It links directly to theillustration, rather than to the page number indicated.
THE ROMANCE OF MADAME TUSSAUD’S
JOHN THEODORE TUSSAUD
MADAME TUSSAUD AT THE AGE OF 85
From the portrait by Paul Fischer, Court painter to H. M. George IV.
THE ROMANCE
OF
MADAME TUSSAUD’S
BY
JOHN THEODORE TUSSAUD
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
HILAIRE BELLOC
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1920,
BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
TO
MY WIFE
THROUGH WHOSE KINDLY URGING THESE LEAVES
HAVE GROWN TO THE DIMENSIONS
OF A BOOK
PREFACE
The earliest information we have concerningMadame Tussaud is that she was born in Switzerlandon the 7th of December, 1760, and was the onlychild of Joseph and Marie Grosholtz. Her motherwas the daughter of a Swiss clergyman.
She married on the 20th of October, 1795, FrançoisTussaud, who, it appears, was her junior by sevenyears. We are able to trace his family back as faras 1630, when his great-great-grandfather, one DenisTusseaud—for that is how he spelt his name—wasborn.
There is documentary evidence that Denis wasbrought from Burgy to Mâcon in 1631, his familyalso coming from Burzy, close by, in 1658.
His descendants lived at Mâcon for more than acentury, their occupation being generally that of workersin metal.
The great-grandfather of François was Henry Tusseaud(1684-1717), and his grandfather’s name wasClaude (1716-1767).
François’ father (1744-1786) was the first of thefamily to adopt the present spelling of the name, althoughwe find that various members of the family[viii]used the forms Tussot, Tusseau, Tuissiaud, Tussiaut,Tusseaut, Tussiau, or Thusseaud.
Madame Tussaud’s marriage does not appear to havebeen a happy one, for we learn that in 1800—two yearsbefore she came to England—she separated from herhusband, of whom we hear nothing further, althoughhe is known to have been living in Paris in the lifetimeof his grandsons.
The foundress of the famous Exhibition had twosons, J