"As they fastened her to the fatal plank, her eyes fell on a colossal statue of liberty erected to celebrate the first anniversary of the 10th of August. 'O liberté,' she cried, 'comme on t'a jouée.' Then the axe dropped, the beautiful head fell; Madame Roland was dead." -Ida Tarbell, Madame Roland Madame Roland (1896) is the second of several biographies that gained Ida Tarbell widespread acclaim. Born Marie-Jeanne Phlipon, but best known under the name Madame Roland, the book's subject was a French revolutionary, salonnière, and writer, greatly admired for her strong intellect, political savvy, and skills at lobbying and negotiating.