Lola Montez, Autograph Cut, Mistress of King Ludwig (04/04/2011)

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Lola Montez, Autograph Cut, Mistress of King Ludwig

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Lola Montez, Autograph Cut, Mistress of King Ludwig

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Sold Date: 04/04/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Fraternal, Political, Organizations

Lola Montez, Autograph Cut, Mistress of King Ludwig. In a frame measuring 17 1/4" X 31 1/4"

Cut signature autograph measures 2 3/8" X 6 1/4", " Yours Very Truly, Marie de Landsfeld Heald, Lola Montez, Cincinnati, 8th March 59 ".

There is a very moving 2 page Eulogy given by F.L. Hawks and a picture of her above the cut signature.

One line near the end, " When she was near her end & could not speak, I asked her to let me know by a sign, whether her soul was at peace, and if she felt Christ would save her?

She fixed her eyes on mine and nodded her head affirmatively "

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (23 June 1818 or 17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez , was an Irish -born dancer and actress who became famous as a "Spanish dancer", courtesan and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria , who made her Countess of Landsfeld .

Eliza Rosanna Gilbert was actually born in Grange , County Sligo on 17 February 1821. [1 ]She was baptised at St Peter's Church in Liverpool on 16 February 1823 while her family was en route to her father's post in India.

The mother of the future Lola was Eliza (or Elizabeth) Oliver, an out-of-wedlock (but acknowledged) daughter of Charles Silver Oliver, of Castle Oliver in County Limerick, Ireland. Eliza's mother was 15 when she gave birth to her, a year after being married to Eliza's father, Ensign Edward Gilbert of the 25th Regiment .

In 1823 the Gilberts moved to India , where his regiment had been dispatched. But, shortly after arrival, he died of cholera . Her mother, who was now 19, married another officer, Lieutenant Patrick Craigie, the following year. Craigie quickly came to care for little Eliza, but her spoilt and half-wild ways concerned him greatly.

Eventually, it was agreed she would be sent back to Britain to attend school, staying with Craigie's father in Montrose , Scotland , at first. But the "queer, wayward little Indian girl" quickly became known as a mischief-maker. On one occasion, she stuck flowers into the wig of an elderly man during a church service, on another, she ran through the streets naked.

At the age of ten, Eliza was moved on again–this time to Sunderland , England . When her stepfather's older sister, Catherine Rae, set up a boarding school in Monkwearmouth with her husband, Lola joined them to continue her education. [2 ]

Eliza obviously made an impression on her teachers, as a Mr Grant, who taught art at the little school, was later to recall her as "an elegant and graceful child." He described her as having eyes of "excessive beauty", an "orientally dark" complexion and an air of "haughty ease". But he also revealed, "The violence and obstinacy of her temper gave too frequent cause of painful anxiety to her good kind aunt."

Eliza's determination and temper were to become her trademarks. The little girl's stay in Sunderland lasted only a year, as she was then transferred to shower for a more "sophisticated" education.

In 1837, sixteen-year-old Eliza eloped with Lieutenant Thomas James. The couple separated five years later, in Calcutta , and she became a professional dancer under a stage name. Her London debut as "Lola Montez, the Spanish dancer" in June 1843 was successful, but she had been recognized as Mrs. James and a scandal arose over the imposture. The resulting notoriety hampered her career in England and she departed for the Continent, where she became famous more for her beauty and quick temper than for her dancing. At this time, she was almost certainly accepting favours from a few wealthy men, and was regarded by many as a courtesan.

Lola met and had an affair with Franz Liszt , who introduced her to the circle of George Sand .[ 4] After performing in various European capitals, she settled in Paris, where she was accepted in the rather Bohemian literary society of the time, being acquainted with Alexandre Dumas, père , with whom she was rumoured to have had a dalliance. After the 1845 death of her ...