Mr. Tussaud, like his father, has exhibited at the Royal Academy. His occasional contributions to literature have been welcomed by thoughtful readers, and he is a recognised authority on historical matters relating to the French Revolution and the First Empire.
Seventeen great-grandsons of Madame Tussaud took an active part in the war, all, without exception, serving in the British Army. Two were killed and most of the others wounded.
WILLIAM E. HURT.
Middle Temple, London
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Preface by William E. Hurt | [vii] |
| Introduction by Hilaire Belloc | [25] |
| [CHAPTER I] | |
| Mr. Tussaud First Enters His Father’s Studio—Reverie—Madame Tussaud’s Uncle Forsakes the Medical Profession for Art—Madame’s Birth and Parentage—A Prince’s Promise | [53] |
| [CHAPTER II] | |
| Curtius Leaves Berne for Paris—The Hôtel d’Aligre—The Court of Louis XV—Madame Arrives in Paris | [59] |
| [CHAPTER III] | |
| Life-size Figures—Museum at the Palais Royal—Exhibition on the Boulevard du Temple—Benjamin Franklin—Voltaire | [65] |
| [CHAPTER IV] | |
| Madame Elizabeth of France—Madame Tussaud Goes to Versailles—Foulon—Three Notable Groups—Gallery of Notorious Criminals | [70] |
| [CHAPTER V] | |
| Eve of the French Revolution—Necker and the Duke of Orléans—Louis XVI’s Fatal Mistakes—His Dismissal of the People’s Favourites | [77] |
| [CHAPTER VI] | |
| Madame Tussaud Recalled from Versailles—The Twelfth of July, 1789—Busts Taken from Curtius’s Exhibition—A Garde Française Slain in the Mêlée | [81] |
| [CHAPTER VII] | |
| Heads of the Revolution—Madame’s Terrible Experiences—The Guillotine in Pawn—Madame Acquires the Knife, Lunette and Chopper | [87] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] | |
| Madame Dines with the Terrorists Marat and Robespierre, Models their Figures and Subsequently Takes Casts of their Heads—She Visits Charlotte Corday in Prison—Death of Curtius—Madame Marries—Napoleon Sits for His Model | [92] |
| [CHAPTER IX] | |
| Madame Tussaud Leaves France for England, Never to Return—Early Days in London—On Tour—Some Notable Figures—Shipwreck in the Irish Channel | [98] |
| [CHAPTER X] | |
| The Bristol Riots—Narrow Escape of the Exhibition—A Brave Black Servant—Arrival at Blackheath | [103] |
| [CHAPTER XI] | |
| An Old Placard—Princess Augusta’s Testimonial—Great Success at Gray’s Inn Road—Madame Initiates Promenade Concerts—Bygone Tableaux | [108] |
| [CHAPTER XII] | |
| Placard (Continued)—The Old Exhibition—Celebrities of the Day—Tussaud’s Mummy—Poetic Eulogism—Removal to Baker Street—The Iron Duke’s Rejoinder—Madame de Malibran | [113] |
| [CHAPTER XIII] | |
| How the Waterloo Carriage was Acquired—A Chance Conversation on London Bridge—The Strange Adventures of an Emperor’s Equipage—Affidavit of Napoleon’s Coachman | [120] |
| [CHAPTER XIV] | |
| Napoleon’s Waterloo Carriage—Description of Its Exterior | [127] |
| [CHAPTER XV] | |
| Description of the Waterloo Carriage (Continued)—Its Interior and Peculiar Contrivances—Brought to England and Exhibited at the London Museum | [133] |
| [CHAPTER XVI] | |
| The St. Helena Carriage—Napoleon Alarms the Ladies—Certificates of Authenticity | [139] |
| [CHAPTER XVII] | |
| Father Matthew Sits for His Model—Tsar Nicholas I. Takes a Fancy to Voltaire’s Chair—A Replica Sent to Him—The Rev. Peter McKenzie’s Exorcism | [143] |
| [CHAPTER XVIII] | |
| Landseer and the Count D’Orsay Visit the Exhibition—A Fright—Norfolk Farmer’s Account of Queen Victoria’s Visit | [148] |
| [CHAPTER XIX] | |
| Wellington Visits the Effigy of the Dead Napoleon, and Sits to Sir George Hayter for Historic Picture—Paintings from Models—Is the Photograph “Taken from Life,” or—? | [153] |
| [CHAPTER XX] | |
| The Story of Colour-Sergeant Bates’s March Through England to Prove Anglo-American Goodwill—Start from Gretna—The Dove of Peace | [159] |
| [CHAPTER XXI] | |
| Sergeant Bates’s Journey Finishes in London Amid a Remarkable Demonstration—His Gift to Madame Tussaud’s | [164] |
| [CHAPTER XXII] | |
| My First Model—Beaconsfield’s Curl—Gladstone’s Collar—John Bright and the Chinaman | [171] |
| [CHAPTER XXIII] | |
| The Tichborne “Claimant”—Nearly an Explosion—The Big Man’s Clothes—The Real Heir—The Claimant’s Release from Prison—Confession and Death | [177] |
| [CHAPTER XXIV] | |
| H. M. Stanley Sits to Joseph Tussaud—The Story of His Life—How He Found Livingstone—A Mysterious Veiled Lady—The Prince Imperial | [181] |
| [CHAPTER XXV] | |
| Count Léon—The Shah of Persia’s Visit—A Weird Suggestion; No Response—King Koffee—Cetewayo | [184] |
| [CHAPTER XXVI] | |
| The Berlin Congress—Lord Beaconsfield and the “Turnerelli Wreath”—“The People’s Tribute” Finds a Home at Tussaud’s—The Sculptor’s Despair—He Constructs His Tombstone and Dies | [190] |
| [CHAPTER XXVII] | |
| The Phœnix Park Murders—We Secure the Jaunting-Car and Pony—Charles Bradlaugh—General Boulanger—Lord Roberts Inspects the Model of Himself | [197] |
| [CHAPTER XXVIII] | |
| My Favourite Portrait—Lord Tennyson Poses Unconsciously Before My Wife—“This Beats Tussaud’s”—Sir Richard Burton—His Widow Clothes the Model | [203] |
| [CHAPTER XXIX] | |
| Removal of the Exhibition to the Present Building—Sleeping Figures—History of the Portman Rooms—The Cato Street Conspiracy—Baron Grant’s Staircase | [208] |
| [CHAPTER XXX] | |
| The King of Siam’s Visit—The Shahzada’s Clothing—The King of Burmah’s War Elephant—Tale of Two Monkeys | [215] |
| [CHAPTER XXXI] | |
| Queen Victoria’s Copperplates—Another Royal Persian Visit—“Perished by Fire”—“Viscount Hinton” and His Organ—The Coquette’s Jewels Lost and Found | [220] |
| [CHAPTER XXXII] | |
| Royal Visitors—King Alphonso and Princess Ena—The Late Emperor Frederick—A Penniless Trio—Princess Charles—The Prince of Wales and Prince Albert | [225] |
| [CHAPTER XXXIII] | |
| The Begum of Bhopal Pays Us a Visit—Lord Rosebery and Lord Annaly—Lord Randolph Churchill—Lady Beatty—Lady Jellicoe and Mrs. Asquith | [231] |
| [CHAPTER XXXIV] | |
| Tussaud’s as Educator—Queer Questions—Wanted, a “Model” Wife—Quaint Extract from an Indian’s Diary | [236] |
| [CHAPTER XXXV] | |
| Stars of the Stage in My Studio—Miss Ellen Terry Has a Cup of Tea—Sir Squire and Lady Bancroft—Sir Henry Irving and the Cabby—We Comply with a Strange Request | [242] |
| [CHAPTER XXXVI] | |
| Literary Sitters—George R. Sims’ Impromptu—His Ordeal in the Chamber of Horrors. George Augustus Sala’s Masterpiece | [249] |
| [CHAPTER XXXVII] | |
| G. A. Sala on Marie Antoinette—The Royal Family—The Queen—Her “Trial,” Condemnation and Death—The Sansons—Sala’s Impressions | [254] |
| [CHAPTER XXXVIII] | |
| More Sitters—Mr. John Burns Walks and Talks—We Buy His Only Suit—Mr. George Bernard Shaw Has to Work for His Living—Four Leading Suffragettes—Christabel’s Model “Speaks”—The Channel Swimmer—General Booth | [275] |
| [CHAPTER XXXIX] | |
| Bank Holiday Queues—Cup-Tie Day—Gentlemen from the North—Bachelor Beanfeasts—The Member for Oldham—A Scare | [282] |
| [CHAPTER XL] | |
| The Mysterious Sun Yat Sen’s Visit—His Escape from the Chinese Legation—The Dargai Tableau—Sir William Treloar Entertains His Little Friends | [287] |
| [CHAPTER XLI] | |
| A Miscellany of Humour—Our Policeman—The Mysterious Lantern—The Danger of Old Catalogues—Stories of Children—Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Model | [291] |
| [CHAPTER XLII] | |
| The Lure of Horrors—Beginnings of the “Dead Room”—Sir Thomas Lawrence, P.R.A., Sketches a Suicide—Burke and Hare—Fieschi’s Infernal Machine—Greenacre—Executions in Public—“Free at Last!” | [297] |
| [CHAPTER XLIII] | |
| The Chamber of Horrors Rumour—No Reward has been or will be Offered—The Constable’s Escapade—A Nocturnal Experience—Dumas’s Comedy of the Chamber—Yeomen of the Halter | [307] |
| [CHAPTER XLIV] | |
| Anecdotal—“Which is Peace?”—Mark Twain at Tussaud’s—Dr. Grace’s Story—Mr. Kipling’s Model—Filial Pride—Bishop Jackson’s Sally—German Inaccuracy | [315] |
| [CHAPTER XLV] | |
| Enemy Models—A Hostile Public—Banishment of Four Rulers—Our Reply to John Bull—Attacks on the Kaiser’s Effigy—Story of an Iron Cross | [320] |
| [CHAPTER XLVI] | |
| Tussaud’s during the War—Chameleon Crowds—The Psychology of Courage—Men of St. Dunstan’s—Poignant Memories—Our Watchman’s Soliloquy | [326] |
| [CHAPTER XLVII] | |
| Three Heroes of the War: Nurse Cavell, Jack Cornwell, V.C., Captain Fryatt—Lords Roberts and Kitchener—Queen Alexandra’s Stick and Violets—The Duke of Norfolk’s Tip | [335] |
| [CHAPTER XLVIII] | |
| A Crinoline Comedy—Mr. Bruce Smith’s Story—An American Lady’s Shilling—My Father’s Meeting with Barnum—The “Cherry-coloured” Cat—“Paganini” and the Tailor—George Grossmith Poses | [341] |
| [CHAPTER XLIX] | |
| We Visit the Old Bailey for Mementoes—A Mock Trial—Relics of Old Newgate—Two Famous Cells—The Newgate Bell | [346] |
| [CHAPTER L] | |
| Tussaud’s in Verse—Tom Hood’s Quatrain—“Alfred among the Immortals”—A Refuge for Cabinet Ministers—Two Dialogues—“This is Fame” | [352] |
| [CHAPTER LI] | |
| Last Scene of All—Madame Tussaud’s Appearance and Character—Her Memoirs Published in 1838—Her Last Words | [356] |