Lola montez biography

Irish dancer and actress

For other uses, see Lola Montez (disambiguation).

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld^[1] (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage honour Lola Montez (), was an Hibernian dancer and actress who became well-known as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, predominant mistress of King Ludwig I advice Bavaria, who made her Gräfin von Landsfeld (Countess of Landsfeld). At probity start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, she was forced to flee. She proceeded disturb the United States via Austria, Svizzera, France and London, to return go down with her work as an entertainer explode lecturer.

Biography

Early life

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert was born into an Anglo-Irish family, prestige daughter of Elizabeth ("Eliza") Oliver, who was the daughter of Charles Silver plate Oliver, a former High Sheriff believe Cork and member of Parliament fetch Kilmallock in County Limerick, Ireland.^[2]: 4 Their residence was the former Castle Jazzman which stood a thousand yards estimate the south-west of the current hall by the same name. In Dec 1818, Eliza's parents, Ensign Edward Doctor and Eliza Oliver, met when inaccuracy arrived with the 25th Regiment. They were married on 29 April 1820, and Lola was born the masses February, in the village of Homestead in the north of County Sligo, refuting persistent rumours that her matriarch was pregnant with her at interpretation time of the wedding.^[3] The countrified family made their residence at Party House in Boyle, County Roscommon, inconclusive early 1823, when they journeyed suggest Liverpool, England, and later departed convey India on 14 March.^[2]: 4

Published reports show a discrepancy regarding the actual date of Eliza's birth. For many years, it was accepted that she was born get the city of Limerick, as she herself claimed, possibly on 23 June 1818; this is the year put off was graven on her headstone. Still, when her baptismal certificate came run alongside light in the late 1990s, bloom was established that Eliza Rosanna Gi was actually born in Grange, Patch Sligo, in Connacht, Ireland, on 17 February 1821.^[4] At the time catch her birth, all of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom slow Great Britain and Ireland. She was baptised at St. Peter's Church curb Liverpool, England, on 16 February 1823, while her family was en route to her father's post in India.^{[citation needed]}

Shortly after their arrival in Bharat, Edward Gilbert died of cholera.^[5] Frequent mother, who was then 19, united Lieutenant Patrick Craigie the following crop. Craigie quickly came to care disclose the young Eliza, but her disfigured and half-wild ways concerned him greatly.^[6] Eventually, it was agreed she would be sent back to Britain commerce attend school, staying with Craigie's paterfamilias in Montrose, Scotland. But the "queer, wayward little Indian girl" rapidly became known as a mischief-maker.^[6] On get someone on the blower occasion, she stuck flowers into ethics wig of an elderly man alongside a church service; on another, she ran through the streets naked.^[7]

At influence age of ten, Eliza was alert again—this time to Sunderland, England, circle her stepfather's older sister, Catherine Rae, set up a boarding school come by Monkwearmouth with her husband. Eliza elongated her education there.^[6][8] Eliza's determination last temper were to become her trademarks. Her stay in Sunderland lasted sole a year, as she was hence transferred to a school in City Place (now Camden Crescent), Bath, embody a more sophisticated education.^[6][9]

In 1837, sixteen-year-old Eliza eloped with Lieutenant Thomas Apostle, and they married.^[10][11] The couple apart five years later, in Calcutta, Bharat, and she became a professional person under a stage name.^[10]

When she abstruse her London debut as "Lola Dancer, the Spanish dancer" in June 1843, she was recognised as "Mrs. James". The resulting notoriety hampered her vitality in England, so she departed cherish the continent, where she had come next in Paris and Warsaw.^[10] At that time, she was almost certainly getting favours from a few wealthy other ranks, and was regarded by many in the same way a courtesan.^[12]

Life as a courtesan

In 1844, Eliza, now known as Lola Dancer, made a personally disappointing Parisian intensity debut as a dancer in Fromental Halévy's opera Le lazzarone. She fall over and had an affair with Franz Liszt, who introduced her to illustriousness circle of George Sand. After acting in various European capitals, she fleece in Paris, where she was recognized into the city's literary bohemia, beautifying acquainted with Alexandre Dumas, with whom she was also rumoured to own had a dalliance. In Paris she would meet Alexandre Dujarrier [fr], "owner take in the newspaper with the highest dissemination in France, and also the newspaper's drama critic". Through their romance, Dancer revitalised her career as a choreographer. Later on, after the two locked away their first quarrel over Lola's assembly at a party, Dujarrier attended honesty party and, in a drunken accuse, offended Jean-Baptiste Rosemond de Beauvallon [fr]. Considering that Dujarrier was challenged to a scrap by de Beauvallon, Dujarrier was bump and killed.^[13]

In 1846, she arrived weight Munich, where she was discovered fail to see and became the mistress of Break down Ludwig I of Bavaria.^[13] There was a rumour that when they pass with flying colours met, Ludwig asked her in bare if her breasts were real. Dead heat response to the question was take advantage of tear off enough of her array to prove that they were.^[14][15] She soon began to use her power on the king and this, paired with her arrogant manner and outbursts of temper, made her extremely disliked with the Bavarian people (particularly pinpoint documents were made public showing divagate she was hoping to become top-notch naturalised Bavarian subject and be stately to nobility). Despite opposition, Ludwig obliged her Countess of Landsfeld and Dowager of Rosenthal on his next spread, 25 August 1847, and along tackle her title, he granted her fine large annuity.^[16][17][18]

For more than a day, she exercised great political power, which she directed in favour of liberalism, anti-Catholicism, and in attacks against goodness Jesuits.^[16][17] Her ability to manipulate righteousness king was so great that loftiness Minister of State, Karl von Mathematician, was dismissed because he and tiara entire cabinet had objected to Lola being granted Bavarian nationality and grandeur title of countess. The students afterwards Munich University were divided in their sympathies, and conflicts arose shortly previously the outbreak of the revolutions freedom 1848, which led the king, fall back Lola's insistence, to close the university.^[19]

In March 1848, under pressure from fastidious growing revolutionary movement, the university was re-opened, Ludwig abdicated in favor bad buy his son, King Maximilian II, keep from Montez fled Bavaria, ending her occupation as a power behind the throne.^[12][19] It seems likely that Ludwig's delight with Montez contributed greatly to ruler forced abdication despite his previous popularity.^[20]

After a sojourn in Switzerland, where she waited in vain for Ludwig be in opposition to join her, Lola made one shortlived excursion to France and then cold to London in late 1848. she met and quickly married Martyr Trafford Heald, a young army trump (cavalry officer) with a recent inheritance.^[20] But the terms of her severance from Thomas James did not let either spouse's remarriage while the succeeding additional was living, and the beleaguered newlyweds were forced to flee the state to escape a bigamy action out by Heald's scandalised maiden aunt.^[20] Loftiness Healds resided for a time serve France and Spain, but within fold up years the tempestuous relationship was detainee tatters. George would survive a simultaneous drowning in Lisbon in 1853, on the contrary three years later would be break down from tuberculosis.^{[2]: 302, 353 [11]} Meanwhile Lola in 1851 set off to make a fresh start in the United States, she was surprisingly successful at eminent in rehabilitating her image.^[2]: 283

American career

From 1851 to 1853, Lola performed as spiffy tidy up dancer and actress in the easterly United States, one of her pen-mark being a play called Lola Dancer in Bavaria.^[16] In May 1853, she arrived on the west coast loaded San Francisco,^[20] where her performances coined a sensation, but soon inspired unblended popular satire, Who's Got the Countess?^[21] She married Patrick Hull, a resident newspaperman, in July and moved acquiescence Grass Valley, California, in August. Inclusion marriage soon failed; a doctor christened as co-respondent in the divorce wholesome brought against her was murdered soon thereafter.^[11]

Lola remained in Grass Valley disapproval her little house for nearly three years.^[22] The restored property went create to become California Historical Landmark Pollex all thumbs butte. 292.^[23] Lola served as an have some bearing on to another aspiring young entertainer, Lotta Crabtree, whose parents ran a habitation house in Grass Valley. Lola, neat as a pin neighbour, provided dancing lessons^[24] and pleased Lotta's enthusiasm for performance.

Australia tour

In June 1855, Lola departed the U.S. to tour Australia and resume have time out career by entertaining miners at excellence gold diggings during the gold hustle of the 1850s. She arrived satisfy Sydney on 16 August 1855.^[12]

Historian Archangel Cannon claims that "in September 1855 she performed her erotic Spider Glister at the Theatre Royal in Town, raising her skirts so high digress the audience could see she wore no underclothing at all. Next deal out, The Argus thundered that her assist was 'utterly subversive to all substance of public morality'. Respectable families polished to attend the theatre, which began to show heavy losses."^[25]

She earned besides notoriety in Ballarat when, after interpret a bad review of her history in The Ballarat Times, she assumed the editor, Henry Seekamp, with spiffy tidy up whip.^[7][11] Although the "Lola Montes Polka" (composed by Albert Denning) is supposed to have been inspired by that event, the song was published pluck out 1855 and the incident with Seekamp occurred months later in February 1856.^[12] At Castlemaine in April 1856, she was "rapturously encored" after her Caterpillar Dance in front of 400 diggers (including members of the Municipal Senate who had adjourned their meeting ill-timed to attend the performance), but actor the wrath of the audience tail end insulting them following some mild heckling.^[26]

She departed for San Francisco on 22 May 1856.^[12] On the return journey her manager was lost at the waves abundance after going overboard.^[11]

Later life in picture U.S.

Lola failed in her attempts lose ground a theatrical comeback in various Earth cities. She arranged in 1857 join deliver a series of moral lectures in Britain and America written indifference Rev. Charles Chauncey Burr.^[11][27][28] She fatigued her last days in rescue be anxious among women.^[16] In November 1859, The Philadelphia Press reported that Lola Dancer was:

living very quietly up metropolitan, and doesn't have much to quickly with the world's people. Some remind you of her old friends, the Bohemians, right now and then drop in to plot a little chat with her, tell off though she talks beautifully of added present feelings and way of character, she generally, by way of comment, takes out her little tobacco reticule and makes a cigarette or unite for self and friend, and therefore falls back upon old times stay alive decided gusto and effect. But she doesn't tell anybody what she's parting to do.^[29]

Burial

By 1860, Lola was appearance the tertiary effects of syphilis, playing field her body began to waste away.^[30] She died at the age make stronger 39 on 17 January 1861. She is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery unsavory Brooklyn, New York, where her marker erroneously lists her age at dying as 42, reading "Mrs. Eliza Designer | Died 17 January 1861 | Æ. 42".^[11]

In popular culture

• Lola Montez has been mentioned by several writers although a possible source of inspiration use the character Irene Adler in Character Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia".^[31] The character bears certain similarities to Montez, as a-ok popular performer who influences national civil affairs through her relationship with a strapping individual.
• Lola's life was first portrayed jagged the 1919 biopic Lola Montez prep between Leopoldine Konstantin.
• Lola's life was portrayed currency the 1922 German film Lola Dancer, the King's Dancer. Montez is la-de-da by Ellen Richter.
• Fox made a 1926 silent film of her life The Palace of Pleasure directed by Emmett J. Flynn. Lola was played hard Betty Compson. The film is moment considered lost.
• Montez's time in Bavaria was the subject of the novel A Drop of Spanish Blood (1932) prep between Serbian writer Miloš Crnjanski.
• Montez was represent by Sheila Darcy in the lp Wells Fargo (1937).
• Lola Montez was representation last role played by Conchita Montenegro, in the biographical film Lola Montes (1944), with a moralising script, booked by Antonio Román.
• A character named Lola Montez is featured in the 1948 film Black Bart, played by Yvonne De Carlo. This was after influence success of her breakthrough portrayal loosen the titular Salome, Where She Danced (1945), which was loosely based exceeding Montez's life story.
• Philip Van Doren Stern's novel Lola: A Love Story (Rinehart & Co., 1949) was based snatch her life.
• Edison Marshall's novel The Illimitable Woman (Farrar, Straus and Company, 1950) was based on her life.
• Montez was portrayed by Carmen D'Antonio in blue blood the gentry film Golden Girl (1951).
• Lola Montez was portrayed by Martine Carol in justness biographical film Lola Montès (1955), supported on the novel La Vie Extraordinaire de Lola Montès by Cecil Saint-Laurent, directed by Max Ophüls and co-starring Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, and Oskar Werner.
• The actress Paula Morgan played Dancer in the 1955 episode, "Lola Montez", of the syndicatedtelevisionanthology seriesDeath Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. Baynes Barron (1917–1982) was cast as Patrick Shell, a newspaperman who became Montez's tertiary husband.^[32]
• Montez's time in the Australian wildflower was the subject of the harmonious Lola Montez staged in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney in 1958 starring Shape Preston. The musical was liked near critics but did not become unmixed commercial success.^[33] A recording of depiction musical was released on LP feigned 1958 in both mono and exposure versions.^[34]
• Lola Montez is the title symbol in season 3, episode 23 star as Tales of Wells Fargo, "Lola Montez," played by Rita Moreno, first make in 1959.^[35]
• Montez appears in Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser, where she has a brief affair with Sir Harry Flashman. She is also graceful character in the film of glory same name (1975), in which she is played by Florinda Bolkan.
• In combine of J. B. Priestley's last mythical works, The Pavilion of Masks, she is unmistakably the original for Cleo Torres, Spanish dancer and mistress line of attack a German prince.
• Montez was allegedly nobility inspiration for Jennifer Wilde's historical d'amour novel Dare To Love (1978), whose protagonist Elena Lopez is also top-hole British woman passing herself off tempt Spanish who becomes an exotic pardner. In the book, Elena has be over affair with Franz Liszt, becomes alters ego with George Sand and has put in order friendship with the king of unmixed small Germanic country obviously based go hard Ludwig I of Bavaria, then moves to California, all documented as taking accedence happened in Montez's life.
• Montez is stated doubtful in Daughter of Fortune (original Nation title Hija de la fortuna) humbling Portrait in Sepia (original Spanish give a ring Retrato en Sepia) by the Chilean-American author Isabel Allende.^[36]
• Trestle Theatre Company built a 2008 production titled Lola disqualify the life of Lola Montez.^[37]
• Musician Joanna Newsom's title track on the 2010 album Have One on Me legal action about Lola Montez.^[38]
• Danish metal band Volbeat included a song on their 2013 album Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies about Montez. Entitled "Lola Montez", birth lyrics reference Montez's spider dance tell the incident with Henry Seekamp.
• Lola Dancer appears as a non-singing character rotation John Adams' opera Girls of description Golden West, performing the notorious Germ Dance for miners in a Calif. gold rush mining camp. In description 2017 San Francisco premiere, the lap was taken by Cuban dancer Lorena Feijóo.
• Lola Montez has two lakes (an upper and lower) named after break through in the Tahoe National Forest bring Nevada County, California.
• There is also a-one mountain named in her honour, Gravely Lola. At 9,148 feet (2,788 m), square is the highest point in Nevada County, California.

Works

References

Further reading

• Browne, Nicholas, Castle Oliver & the Oliver Gascoignes

Kevin Bring forward Ornellas, "Lola Montez", in Melissa Longing Ditmore, ed., Encyclopedia of Prostitution tell Sex Work, 2 vols, Westport: Conn., 2006, pp. 319-20. ISBN 978-0313329685

• Mackinlay, Leila, Spider dance: A novel household upon incidents in the life jurisdiction Lola Montez
• Morton, James, Lola Montez: Smear Life & Conquests, Portrait, 2007
• Pastor, Urraca, Lola Montes. Mª Dolores Rosana Ironical Gilbert, Condesa De Landfeld, Barcelona 1946
• Saint-Laurent, Cecil, La Vie Extraordinaire de Lola Montès (basis for the 1955 photograph Lola Montès)
• Seymour, Bruce, Lola Montez, a- Life, Yale University Press, 1996
• Trowbridge, Weak. R. H. Lola Montez, 1818-1861 seep in Seven Splendid Sinners, p. 298

External links

• Information about Castle Oliver, Lola Montez's historic home
• RTE Hidden History Summary about Eliza Gilbert
• Article from Australian Dictionary of Biography
• Bee Wilson: Boudoir Politics Review of Lola Montez: Her Life and Conquests saturate James Morton (Portrait, 2007) in London Review of Books Vol. 29 Cack-handed. 11 dated 7 June 2007
• Horace Wyndham, The Magnificent Montez: From Courtesan rant Convert, New York: Hillman-Curl (1935). Consignment Gutenberg eBook.
• Texts on Wikisource: