Born in France in 1761, Marie Tussaud learned her skills from Dr Philippe Curtius, a physician skilled in wax modelling. 

During the French Revolution, she became famous for taking death masks of the French aristocracy who had become victims of the guillotine. She later left France for England where she travelled throughout the country with her waxworks exhibition. In those days, before TV and magazines, this was one of the only ways that people could get to see what the rich and famous looked like.

The tour’s popularity allowed her to open the permanent exhibition in Baker Street in 1835.
Since then, Madame Tussauds has become one of the world’s most famous tourist attractions, with more than two million people visiting every year.  

Liz Edwards fromMadame Tussauds took me on a behind the scenes tour and to meet many of the people who work there.

Who are the most popular models?
Michael Jackson has become one of the most popular figures since he sadly died earlier this year. Her Majesty The Queen continues to be very popular. There have been 22 models of the Queen presented by Madame Tussauds. There’s also been a lot of interest in our model of the US President, Barack Obama. 

What happens to the models when they are no longer on display?
Madame Tussauds has many branches around the world, not just at Baker Street which is the most famous. So our models often tour around the world. When they are no longer being displayed we keep them safely in our archives together with the original moulds. 

Do celebrities ask you to make them look thinner, younger or prettier than they really are?
All the time! However, their wish is not granted. When we commit to make a model, Madame Tussauds insists that we create an accurate and lifelike version of each person we work on.

How long does one model take to make?
A long time. Each new model takes four months to create. We have 20 people working on different aspects from the research stage and when a “sitting” happens, through to the months it takes to get the hair and look exactly right. It’s also very expensive. We only make eight new figures a year and they cost about £150,000 each. 

How have the techniques changed since the time of Marie Tussaud?
The techniques are very traditional. We no longer use face moulds as everything is sculpted. We also now use “armatures”. These are the metal frames used to build and support the body of the model. Two of the most important people at the exhibition are Zoe Walton who heads the team that works on colouring and make-up and Gemma Simms who is in charge of hair.

How do you attach the hair to the head?
It’s a long process. We actually use real human hair. Everyone’s hair is different and we work to match a subject’s hair style. We use a needle with the eye trimmed off and then carefully poke each individual hair into the wax. It takes a very long time, but the results are worth it. 

If you want to learn more about Madame Tussaud or to book a visit, check out their website at www.madametussauds.com.