BONFIRE of HISTORY

On the evening of 18th March 1925, a devastating fire ripped through the Marylebone premises of Madame Tussauds. By the time the fire was extinguished the following morning, little was left of the world-famous waxworks beyond a few grotesquely distorted models and a pile of scrap iron, which was the remnants of one of Napolons carriages. Those who now visit the waxworks probably assume that what was lost in 1925 was no very different to the present displays. However, the catalogues pre-dating the fire tell a very different story, for there was so much more to Madame Tussaud & Sons Exhibition than wax representations of the famous and the notorious. The fact is that the French model maker, and the three generations of her family who managed the business after her, were avid collectors of works of art, memorabilia and trivia relating to their displays: Madame Tussauds was, in fact, more of a cabinet of historical curiosities than a wax works. This is evidenced by the lost collection, which ranged from the bloodstained shirt of King Henri IV, worn when he was assassinated in 1610, to the blade of the original guillotine, via a large collection of 18th and 19th century pictures and sculptures by many of the leading artists of their day, furniture, clothing, and a priceless collection of Napolonica from the Emperors tooth to three of his own carriages. Using contemporary accounts, the pre-fire catalogues, insurance inventories, and with unique access to the Madame Tussauds archives, Christopher Jolls and Penny Cobhams new illustrated book describes in chronological order the extraordinary items that were lost in 1925, set in the context of Madame Tussauds own story and the historical events surrounding the items in the lost collection and, along the way, uncovers many fakes and forgeries, as well as a wealth of irreplaceable and priceless historical treasures.