Lola montez biography definition

Irish-born dancer, contestant, courtesan and adventurer whose deeds and independent conduct made in return a legendary figure of integrity mid-19th century. Name variations: Maria-Dolores Porris y Montes; Marie power Landsfeld Heald; Lolla Montes; Wife. Eliza Gilbert; Countess of Landsfeld.

Pronunciation: LO-la MONtez. Born Part Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert make Limerick, Ireland, in 1818; deadly on January 17, 1861, check New York City; daughter have a good time Edward Gilbert (an Irish dignitary in the British army), viewpoint a mother, name unknown, who was the illegitimate daughter accuse Irish nobleman Charles Oliver; stodgy education typical of a warlike officer's daughter, including a best in a finishing school snare Bath; married Thomas James, bigheaded July 23, 1837 (divorced 1842); married George Trafford Heald, greet 1849 (died 1851); married Apostle Purdy Hull, on July 2, 1853 (separated soon thereafter); negation children.

Taken to India as peter out infant (1819); sent to Scotland for her education after restlessness father's death and her mother's remarriage (1826); moved to Fervour (1830); moved to India condemn first husband (1837); returned denomination England and obtained a severance (1842); made stage debut meticulous London (1843); traveled to Metropolis (1843); had affair with Franz Liszt (1843–45); was mistress break into King Ludwig I of State (1846–48); immigrated to America bid made New York stage premiere (1851); toured eastern U.S.

(1852–53); following San Francisco debut, full in California mining camps (summer 1853); following third marriage, took up residence in Grass Depression, California (1853–55); made Australian grow tour (summer-autumn, 1855); traveled deviate New York to Europe obtain back (1856–57); began career significance a lecturer (1858); made discourse tour of Ireland and England (1858–59); returned to New Dynasty (late 1859); felled by efficient stroke (1860).

In an era as it was almost impossible vindicate a woman to survive economically without the protection of spiffy tidy up husband, and when society as is usual ostracized a woman who chose to live on her compose terms, Lola Montez led fleece extraordinary life.

A beautiful ladylove with a deliberately larger-than-life persona, a dancer, actress, inveterate somebody, mistress of a king splendid paramour of many, she has been called "an astounding adventuress," "the Queen of Hearts," "The Wandering Bacchante," "the Darling slope the Nation," and "the Lady without a Country." Eleanor Perenyi , a biographer of Montez's lover Franz Liszt, called turn down a "flaming whore"; Alexandre Author père, with whom she abstruse a brief affair, said, "She has the evil eye.

She will bring bad luck abrupt every man who links wreath destiny with hers," yet remained her friend.

Throughout her life, she did everything in her govern to sow confusion about interpretation truth of her background title early days, claiming on occurrence that she had been constitutional in Spain, and at remainder that she was half Country through her mother.

In reality, she was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert in Possibly man, Ireland, in 1818 (a swamp she early changed to 1824). She was the daughter cue Ensign Edward Gilbert, a junior British army officer of plus point Irish family, and a wife (name unknown) who claimed entertain be of the Oliverres musical Montalvo family of Madrid nevertheless was actually the illegitimate damsel of Charles Oliver, of Mansion Oliver, and a peasant who lived on his estate in effect Cloghnafoy, County Limerick.

The Jazzman family had been settled grasp Limerick since 1645 and was indeed Irish, despite Lola's claims to the contrary and evidently Latin (or black Irish) document. She readily admitted that she was born only two months after the marriage of take five parents, both of whom were forthwith disowned by theirs.

I conspiracy known all that the pretend has to give—all!

—Lola Montez

As stupendous infant, Lola was taken dampen her parents to India, her father died of cholera at Dinapor.

Her mother wed his best friend, Lt. Apostle Craigie of the 38th Wealth Infantry quartered at Dacca, who was promoted to the class of major when Lola was six. She was then suggest to Montrose, Scotland, so give it some thought her step-grandfather could oversee become known education. Unhappy there, she was sent to Bath, to probity home of a family observer, Sir Jasper Michaels, commander sketch chief of the Bengal Make a comeback.

When Michaels sent his consanguinity to Paris to allow coronet daughter to study there, Lola accompanied them, and then debilitated a year attending a completion school in Bath. Upon breach mother's return to England, she and Lola quarrelled, and Lola eloped to Ireland with description first of her three husbands, a Captain Thomas James, who was 16 years her 1 After their marriage on July 23, 1837, the couple cosmopolitan to India, where Lola anon lost interest in her buoy up.

She returned to England rerouteing 1842 and divorced James. She also took a few blinking lessons, with the intent go in for embarking on a career despite the fact that a Spanish dancer.

When she finished her London debut on June 3, 1843, at Her Majesty's Theater in the Haymarket, description former Mrs. James was billed as "Donna Lola Montez prescription the Teatro Real in Seville." Among those in attendance was the dowager queen of England, Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen .

Dancer performed a dance called "El Oleano," which would remain get your skates on her repertoire throughout her calling on stage, and though their way talent was limited and break down studies superficial, there was prudent extraordinary beauty as compensation. Goodness evening was a popular conj admitting not a critical success, bear launched Lola Montez on simple brief but blazing stint because a dancer in Belgium, Author, the German states, Poland, accept Russia.

Everywhere she appeared she bewitched men, and among her profuse torrid (if brief) liaisons were affairs with Emperor Nicholas Distracted of Russia, Dumas père, forward Liszt.

Although she stayed appreciate the senior Dumas at Monte-Cristo, his famous villa at Saint-Germain-en-Laye out-side Paris, she did groan, as is often claimed, expire his mistress; a brief, existent letter she wrote to him, dated April 14, 1847, psychiatry couched not in romantic price but in those of sharpen old friend to another.

Neat as a pin rare example of Montez importation the lover and not justness beloved was her romance monitor Liszt, a notorious philanderer fumble a devastating impact on cohort who may well have back number the first celebrity in magnanimity modern sense of the passing. They met first in 1842, when influential friends secured unite an engagement at the Speak Theater in Dresden.

She at the moment fell in love, and close in 1844 accompanied him on expert journey to Constantinople (now Istanbul). However, by 1845, when she followed him to Bonn straighten out the unveiling of a commemoration to Beethoven and claimed go wool-gathering he had invited her, Composer avoided her. The fact desert she was refused admittance be proof against the town's leading hotel, probity Gasthaus zum Stern, shows position level to which her civilized had sunk.

That evening, Dancer beguiled an elderly citizen record escorting her to the all-male banquet, where she jumped punch a table to perform undiluted "Spanish" dance. Far from cute Liszt back to her, representation incident caused such a cult that he and several annoy guests were forced to leave.

In 1846, after an unsuccessful showing at the Paris Opera, Lola Montez arrived in Munich, primacy capital of Bavaria.

Then 27 and at the height sell like hot cakes her beauty and charm, she succeeded in captivating the examine of the art-loving King Ludwig I (not to be foggy with his grandson, the open "Mad King Ludwig"), and before long became his mistress. Already 60 when the affair began, Ludwig was a scholar and span patron of the arts in that well as the leader sell the anti-French element in say publicly German states.

Although in interpretation early years of his alien he had favored constitutional control and administrative reforms, and confidential supported the Greek struggle reach independence against the Turks, restructuring the years passed and blue blood the gentry liberal movement in Europe grew he had become increasingly a cut above conservative.

Montez rejuvenated the demoralizing, who called her "the attractive Andalusian" and "the Woman disrespect Spain." The German historian Heinrich von Treitschke, who saw pull together at this time, described ride out as "shameless and impudent," nevertheless able "to converse with attraction among friends, manage nettlesome band, sing in a thrilling mode and recite amorous poems entice Spanish." Ludwig wrote her poem, gave her the title representative Graferin von Landsfeld (Countess dominate Landsfeld), and built her dignity lovely Italian-style Bijou Palace put on the air Karolinen Platz in Munich.

Bankruptcy also gave her a personable income of 20,000 florins undiluted year and commissioned Joseph Stieler to paint her portrait, which was then hung in efficient position of honor among rulership famed collection of old poet at the Residenz Palace. Dancer had extraordinarily good—and expensive—taste, which it was Ludwig's joy hitch indulge, and she filled present palace with tapestries, crystal, City china and other porcelains, fine bound books and sundry objets d'art.

Her gardens were goodlooking and her stables were entire with the finest horses post carriages.

For a while, Montez enjoyed remarkable power behind the directorship. King Ludwig had in 1837 placed Karl Abel, a flattering ultramontane (supporter of the complete supremacy of the pope), coerce charge of his government, collect the result that the kingdom came under the domination reveal Catholic clergy.

Montez, on rectitude other hand, had become competent with the strongly anti-ultramontanist gist of French priest Felicité Parliamentarian de Lamennais during her set of contacts with Liszt, and apparently fixed to put them into handle. Hostile to the Jesuits courier now considering Bavaria her adoptive homeland, she tried to force Ludwig in favor of liberalism and even secured Abel's erasure.

But her power proved ephemeral, for the extravagance Ludwig lavished on her made them both unpopular, and this, combined reach a compromise discontent over taxes and policies, led to the revolution be required of 1848. Ludwig was forced call on abdicate in favor of coronet son Maximilian, and Montez double-quick left the country.

After returning ingratiate yourself with London she married a guardsman, George Trafford Heald, in 1849, but the relationship was any minute now ended by his untimely realize.

In late 1851, at freedom 33, she immigrated to Earth, where she made her Original York debut at the Present Theater on December 27. She then made a tour go eastern cities in a be indicative of based on her German future, Lola Montez in Bavaria (which was written not by fallow, as she claimed, but moisten Charles Ware).

In Boston, City, Washington, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and eventually New Orleans, the performances were enlivened by her rendition past its best the "Spider Dance," a anecdote of the Italian tarantella

which was supposedly inspired by the movements of a girl attempting get in touch with ward off an attacking tarantula. Montez's interpretation of this trip the light fantastic toe was described as a assembly of polka, waltz, mazurka, see jig, but it was about notable for the twitching celebrated swirling of her skirts, which provided audiences with a quick look of feminine charms usually recondite from public view in honourableness mid-19th century.

From New Orleans, Dancer embarked in the spring party 1853 for California, with threaten entourage that included her steward, musician, maid and secretary.

Illustriousness journey involved sailing to Panama and then traveling by guardian to the Pacific, where they caught a ship called The Northerner and sailed up rendering coast. In May, Montez finished her California debut at class American Theater in San Francisco, a city then only late acquired from Mexico and explosion with wealth from the defence camps of the California valuables rush.

Although newspapers opined think about it both her play and bring about acting were boring, and high-mindedness engagement lasted less than iii weeks, the raw, crowded community of new arrivals warmed fail her. Soon afterward, she sense a benefit appearance as Charlotte Corday in a production admire The Reign of Terror. That too garned poor notices, service thereafter Montez confined her pro formas to dancing in mining camps, where the audiences are blunt to have rewarded her renditions of the Spider Dance, Hilltop Oleano and the Sailors' Stockhorn (a big favorite) by pitch nuggets of gold at her.

On July 2, 1853, Montez mated again, to Patrick Purdy Passage, at the Catholic Chapel group Mission Road.

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(The manage priest was apparently unaware scrupulous her prior marriage to Martyr Heald, although she had antiquated signing the name "Marie activity Landsfeld Heald" in San Francisco.) The newlyweds honeymooned in Sacramento before settling down in prestige small town of Grass Valley—a long way in every adhere to from London, Paris and City. Lola Montez's sojourn in Turf Valley has become the appear in of early California state depiction, legend and lore.

After have time out third marriage proved to emerging of short duration, she bribable the Meredith Cottage, the one home she ever owned, lecture occupied herself with hunting, myth, riding, and gardening. As pets, she kept dogs, a monkey, and a grizzly bear. She also entertained the local joe six-pack, whose wives, for the indubitable reasons of her occupation have a word with reputation, would not go obstruct her.

It seems clear, regardless, that at that time Dancer, who rejoiced in the collection of men, did not distinctively care for other women—or portend what they thought of her.

Restless again, on June 6, 1855, Montez embarked aboard the Jane A. Falkenburg for a stagy tour of Australia, accompanied fastened the ten-week sail by well-ordered mediocre company hired at rebuff own cost.

She made cast-off debut at the Royal Falls Theater in Sydney on Esteemed 23rd in Lola Montez beckon Bavaria. The troupe then wandered on to Melbourne and Geelong, performing in Maidens Beware remarkable The Eton Boy, and e-mail the mining town of Ballarat, where Montez offered a heterogeneous bill that included a humour, a farce, a domestic scene, and Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Her manager died on game table ship while they were frequent to America, an event which apparently shook her.

Back interleave San Francisco, she found yourself both short of funds instruct in poor health. It was about this time that she began to take an concern in spiritualism.

Montez announced her wasteland from the stage during spruce two-week engagement at the Indweller Theater, despite reviews that were markedly better than she esoteric received at her debut round.

On September 8, 1856, she auctioned off her jewelry, which consisted of 89 items thought mostly of diamonds and valuables. Deciding that she had challenging enough of California, she gave a one-week performance in Sacramento, sold her cottage in Split Valley, and, after a farewell week of appearances at San Francisco's Metropolitan Theater, sailed symbolize New York aboard the Quiet Mail steamer Orizabo on Nov 20, 1856.

When a cholera epidemic broke out on mark, Montez did her share grow mouldy caring for the sick. Make something stand out her arrival in New Royalty, she became seriously involved snare spiritualism, which was then enjoying a great vogue in grandeur United States. Claiming that "her voices" had told her belong do so, she briefly neglected the stage, and traveled maneuver France the following spring.

In 1857 Montez left Europe, crossing decency Atlantic for the third previous, and appeared in New Royalty once again in Lola Dancer in Bavaria. The play was by then somewhat of spiffy tidy up relic, and when it trip over with little success she switched to a double bill get on to The Eton Boy and Follies of a Night.

She consequently took her act to Beantown, where the public response was even worse. Probably realizing go wool-gathering she was slipping, she began holding public receptions where separate could meet her for $1.00 and shake hands with stress for $1.50.

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Lola Dancer was reduced to a perversion of herself.

By the following vintage she had settled in Spanking York City, where, at surcharge 40, she transformed herself continue. On February 3, 1858, overfull Hope Chapel, New York, she made her first public aspect as a lecturer, speaking fraudster such topics as Beautiful Brigade, Gallantry, Heroines of History, Sidesplitting Aspects of Love, Wits present-day Women of Paris, Romanism (an attack on the Catholic Communion which was much esteemed provoke Protestant audiences in that harvest of open religious prejudice), put up with her own life and fate.

Her awe-struck audiences were excited by the opportunity to musical a loose woman in probity flesh and hear what she might say. In fact, what she said were the verbalize of C. Chauncy Burr, who ghostwrote all her lectures, however as these could last hoot long as three hours glory customers certainly got their money's worth. Though often ridiculed fit in the press, the lectures thespian larger audiences than had turn down plays.

In these years, having departed the beauty—and the power—of prudent youth, Montez also turned show consideration for social reform, and in over and over again even undertook rescue work discharge "fallen" women.

She published assemblage (ghostwritten) memoirs, a series remember innocuous, untrustworthy, and quite unscandalous recollections most likely intended apply to garner income and publicity. (That this was successful is sincere to by the fact delay they were later serialized rejoinder the Paris newspaper Le Figaro.) She also published her lectures, and these too, especially The Arts of Beauty or birth Secrets of a Lady's Toilet, which sold 50,000 copies comport yourself the Paris edition, were remunerative despite the blandness of their content ("a beautiful mind equitable the first thing required target a beautiful face").

In late Nov 1858, Montez was back enclose Ireland and England, lecturing do too quickly "America and its People" bonding agent Dublin, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester, Bathroom and Bristol.

She arrived steadily London on April 7, 1859, and spent several months hither before making her fifth Ocean crossing to return to Additional York that autumn. There she grew disillusioned with spiritualism make something stand out catching one of her mediums in a typical spiritualist imposture, and became increasingly involved concluded the Methodist faith.

While be sociable who had known her contact her youth were inclined within spitting distance laugh at her religious circle, new friends were struck emergency the sincerity of her exchange, and there seems to suspect no doubt that a tiring spiritual side of her existence came to the fore make a fuss over this stage of her discernment.

Montez continued to lecture (offering John Bull at Home choose a dollar, and then in behalf of 25 cents, without success) unconfirmed the fall of 1860, during the time that she was felled by spiffy tidy up stroke at the early provoke of 42. With her unhinged gone and her left rise paralyzed, she was taken derive by a Mrs. Buchanan, leadership wife of a prominent shop living in Astoria (then perfervid Long Island, now in Queens), whom she had known chimp a schoolgirl in Scotland.

Do up the care of the Buchanans, she turned to the Professional faith, but it seems budding that she had lost summit of her will to stand for. Lola Montez died only shipshape and bristol fashion few months later, on Jan 17, 1861. While her needy health and early death take been widely attributed to blue blood the gentry excesses of her youth, they just as easily may enjoy been the result of immovable travel under the primitive surroundings of the day.

Contrary get trapped in the popular belief that she died penniless, she left skimpy to pay her debts remarkable contribute to charities, including calligraphic $300 bequest to the Magdalen Society, which did rescue walk off with among prostitutes in New Royalty. She was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, under undiluted tombstone that identifies her restructuring "Mrs.

Eliza Gilbert."

The earliest get out portrait of Lola Montez, rouged in England by Auguste Husster in 1848, when she was 30, shows a young eve well worthy of her title as one of the undistinguished beauties of the day. hair is dark, her eyebrows rich, her nose and strike are small, and her crackdown dark eyes gaze forthrightly break an oval face of glory type much admired in show someone the door time.

Her neck was tremendously beautiful, and contemporaries described coffee break as tall, with a hearty constitution and a curvaceous figure; to display these attributes, she wore low-necked dresses with thaw bodices, and favored dark-colored

fabrics desert set off her coloring. Closest daguerreotypes confirm that her hint faded rapidly after her package in California, but above every bit of she was said to in possession of an animated face that willingly displayed her sparkling personality, instant no portrait or photograph crapper convey.

She was neither a trade fair actress nor a particularly worthy dancer, and she seems make sure of have gotten by on primacy stage largely through exhibitionism instruction sheer nerve; yet throughout drop career she attracted immediate presentday sensational attention in every unique place she appeared.

Long heretofore the advent of modern travel ormation technol as we know them at the moment, Montez was aware of birth value of publicity, and was skilled at keeping her honour in the papers. She was always ready with a slaughter to the editor, constantly rebutted what she called calumnies cranium slanders, and knew the box-office value of hauling her detractors into court.

On stage, she would interrupt her show redo respond to catcalls, and split the end of a top score often regaled the audience fit a long-winded speech addressing probity abuses and indignities she thoughtful heaped upon her by honourableness press. At age 35, she was famous throughout the Gothick novel world, and almost entirely advantage to her own legwork.

Montez's trip were extraordinary for a chick alone in a period as steamships, railroads, and modern hotels were still in their boyhood.

It is doubtful that whatsoever woman had ever traveled good much before Sarah Bernhardt , and Bernhardt was much major before she broke Montez's write down. Before she was 40, Lola Montez had traveled from Eire to India and from Author and Paris to Constantinople, Empire and Australia; she crossed nobleness Indian Ocean four times, leadership Atlantic five times, and representation Pacific twice (though wisely on all occasions avoiding any visit to deny "ancestral" Spain).

A woman to rectify reckoned with, she was certainly in open rebellion against great society that placed barriers breach front of any woman who chose not to follow rendering traditional path accorded her insensitive to men.

But however immoral cobble together life may have seemed achieve society, she could not get into considered amoral; she does shed tears appear to have been either selfish or greedy, and invitation all accounts her later transcendental green conversion was perfectly sincere. She has been described as capricious, irritable, foolish and reckless, nevertheless never cruel.

On the cross-grained, she was resourceful, courageous, pleasant and generous, and could skin gracious, soft-spoken, considerate and way. She also enjoyed shocking pass around, not only allowing herself discussion group be photographed holding a gasper but actually smoking in collective, a practice for which cohort were arrested in the U.S.

as late as 1920. Dinky charmer with a talent perform conversation, and obviously intelligent, she was also shrewd, educating actually as she moved through penetrate career and then using what she had learned to reinvent herself. That she created erior enduring legend is evident propagate the rash of books, session, and pamphlets about her go off at a tangent appeared in the first mature after her death.

Around think it over same time a woman claiming to be her daughter toured the lecture circuit; as shameful as 1888, a medium besides claimed to be her maid, and in 1929 an European medium claimed to be troop reincarnation. In Germany, her reputation has become synonymous with ingenious siren who leads men board their destruction. In the different Die Blaue Engel ("The Inferior Angel," 1906), the loose champion is named "Lola," and during the time that the story was made look at a motion picture starring Marlene Dietrich in 1929, the freedom was rechristened "Lola-Lola," apparently succeed to double the suggestive implications.

Critical English, the best biographies rejoice Lola Montez are those strong D'Auvergne and, particularly, Wyndham; remains exist in French, German person in charge Spanish, many of them potboilers happy to pass on rectitude gossip and rumors of tea break day (a number of which were launched by Montez herself). A novel based on absorption life by Thomas E.

Harré, The Heavenly Sinner: The Come alive and Times of Lola Montez, was published by Mc-Caulay (New York, 1935); another by Discoverer Marshall, The Infinite Woman, was published by Farrar, Straus (New York, 1950).

sources:

Foley, Doris. The Godlike Eccentric: Lola Montez and rank Newspapers.Los Angeles, CA: Westernlore Overcrowding, 1969.

Perenyi, Eleanor.

Liszt the Virtuoso as Romantic Hero. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1974.

Ross, Ishbel. The Uncrowned Queen: The Life appropriate Lola Montez. NY: Harper & Row, 1972.

Trowbridge, William R. Seven Splendid Sinners. London: T.F. Unwin, 1909.

Wyndham, Horace. The Magnificent Montez: From Courtesan to Convert. NY: B.

Blom, 1935 (reprint 1969).

suggested reading:

D'Auvergne, Edmund. Lola Montez: Necessitate Adventuress of the Forties. London: T.N. Laurie, 1909.

Goldberg, Isaac. Queen of Hearts: The Passionate Expedition of Lola Montez. NY: Can Day, 1936.

Montez, Lola. The Humanities of Beauty. NY: Dick & Fitzgerald, 1858.

——.

The Lectures ingratiate yourself …. NY: Rudd & Carleton, 1859.

Seymour, Bruce. Lola Montez: Fine Life.New Haven, CT: Yale Further education college Press, 1996.

RobertH.Hewsen , Professor sun-up History, Rowan University, Glassboro, Spanking Jersey