March 5, 1975 (8 pages)

4 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., March 53,1975 ~The Divine ¥ ‘ CHAPTER I LA TARANTELLA The strange dual personality of Lola Montez will forever be a subject of debate among writers, psychiatrists and students of human behavior. At times she was gracious, soft-spoken, considerate, kind and even meek to the point of humility; at others, daring, violent almost wanton, unsubdued, incorrigible and acting with reckless abandon. : One might rightly defend the complexity of her character as appropriate to the period in which she lived; the lack of political rights and of status of women in those days; the lack of opportunity for obtaining an education or engaging in a business career; the superstitions of the era and the narrowness of social customs, causing a willful strong-minded non-conforming woman to rebel against a society that suppressed and held her its captive. To best understand the motivation for her retreat into the mining region, one needs to begin with her arrival and six-week stay in San Francisco. A news item from The Golden Era, May 22, 1853 announced: ‘‘The world-renowned Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeldt, arrived in this city on the Northerner.”’. San Francisco Whig, May 23, 1853: “‘Among the arrivals by the Northerner is Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeldt.She comes in a quiet unobtrusive manner, and will doubtless succeed in this new field of her enterprise.” Lola’s reputation for striking an opponent across the shoulders with whatever weapon was convenient once her wrath, and indignation became aroused, had preceded her arrival in the United States. Reporters were known to exaggerate these encounters; the following quote appearing in a San Francisco paper the day after her arrival may have been one of them. ‘‘There is no end to Lola Montez’s pranks. Her agent recently left her, and at the time she heard of his determination to do so, some conversation due to his character then ensued, in which the ‘fair countess’ reflected severely on some of his conduct. Just at this time the gentleman stepped in, and a scene follom@r Mle Lola bestowed on the astonished gentleman divers unmentionable epithets and finally pitched into him; knocked him down with her pretty little fists. One of the bystanders held the ‘gentle lady’ and endeavored to pacify her, but before her fury subsided, she destroyed checks to the amount of $200 to show that filthy lucre was no object to her.” The American Theatre, a brick structure located on Sansome between Sacramento and California Streets, reopened on May 1, 1853, after some alterations and a new management. San Francisco Daily Herald, May 23, 1853: ‘‘Lola Montez worldwide diplomatic and dancing celebrity will appear at the LOLA DOING her famous "Spider Dance". There have been many versions_of.the props used in the dance, from the use of whalebone and rubber spiders to actual live ones. Lola's interpretation was that-of pantomiming the actions of a frantic woman invaded by spiders. It was customary for someone to throw flowers upon the stage for her to stamp and trample upon as if crushing the offending insects. (Courtesy of the Dance Collection, New York Public Library) By Doris el ~~ AMERIOAN 1 BANSOME Sr., Sarwesn CALIFO go MaDAger ec. s cece cece esee ee BENEPIT OF MI: THIS EVENIN will be presented bias ir AdrantUBecevecccccccccorecscacenes Clemanthu.-.ccc. cccceceeceeece ee Tu cenclude with the favorite ( SWId8s COM Tiise ts, (evitss Bonge.)--. eee eee Nats Ticok.----.eeee sere ener eeees TO-MORROW EVENING -The LOLA MONTES, COUNTESS OF the hopor of making hor PERS’ ¥eaac'scoz-iu the Character of . LADY TEA in Sheridan‘s comedy of the “SC an porformed by her in the prin enthuniastic success raicks OF ADN Dress Circle and Parquette-:-:-(Eutrance on Sansc Becund Tier. or Pamily Circle---(Entrance éd door on Ul Thicd Tier, or Gallury.--:-eee eee (Entrance lat dovr on } P vivate Boxen WO DIT ALE lee 0 wvoresiee we Oe : Svatuesn be secured by applyin VA. at. til! P.M, and from.3.ti RS Tine: -Doors vpen at 7 0% quarter before 8. = BRI Ap eflicieut Volice has bee eer will be enforced. American Theatre on Thursday nigh principal cities of the United States Atlantic side of the continent has mac among the theatre-going public. Att success of other artistes, M’lle . appreciation and the gallantry of a. whatever be her artistic merits, th critically judged and liberally rews existing to see a person so much talk America for several years, and who heroine of so many strange incidents, filled to overflowing on the occ appearance. Mr. Charles of the Roye lead the orchestra, and Mr. J. S. EF Montes.” The following article from The G: printed after Lola’s San Francisco del rest of mankind have either seen or h woman, we will not speak of her as might demand. Suffice it to say that politician, the nobless and the ‘fair s and that her name has attracted to th brilliant and overflowing audiences e who have given her talents a most une cordial manner in which she has bee: we admire Lola’s acting, but we do th Success to the Countess of Landsfeldt American tomorrow evening.” The impact Lola made on the city June was typified by Grace Greenwor of her performances. ‘‘Everybody kn .-& nice and proper person, yet everyt dancing enchantress, who owned wayward, though never wicked;’ that tamer of young husbands. Everybod; subjéct for one perilous evening to tk entangling eyes and Circean fascinati a dancer, and she was hardly that. I wanting in grace and artistic finish. disdain of the ordinary arts of the . -seemed, on the piquant beauty of her costumes. Her form was light and lith perfect symmetry. Beautiful she was

4 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., March 53,1975 ~The Divine ¥ ‘ CHAPTER I LA TARANTELLA The strange dual personality of Lola Montez will forever be a subject of debate among writers, psychiatrists and students of human behavior. At times she was gracious, soft-spoken, considerate, kind and even meek to the point of humility; at others, daring, violent almost wanton, unsubdued, incorrigible and acting with reckless abandon. : One might rightly defend the complexity of her character as appropriate to the period in which she lived; the lack of political rights and of status of women in those days; the lack of opportunity for obtaining an education or engaging in a business career; the superstitions of the era and the narrowness of social customs, causing a willful strong-minded non-conforming woman to rebel against a society that suppressed and held her its captive. To best understand the motivation for her retreat into the mining region, one needs to begin with her arrival and six-week stay in San Francisco. A news item from The Golden Era, May 22, 1853 announced: ‘‘The world-renowned Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeldt, arrived in this city on the Northerner.”’. San Francisco Whig, May 23, 1853: “‘Among the arrivals by the Northerner is Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeldt.She comes in a quiet unobtrusive manner, and will doubtless succeed in this new field of her enterprise.” Lola’s reputation for striking an opponent across the shoulders with whatever weapon was convenient once her wrath, and indignation became aroused, had preceded her arrival in the United States. Reporters were known to exaggerate these encounters; the following quote appearing in a San Francisco paper the day after her arrival may have been one of them. ‘‘There is no end to Lola Montez’s pranks. Her agent recently left her, and at the time she heard of his determination to do so, some conversation due to his character then ensued, in which the ‘fair countess’ reflected severely on some of his conduct. Just at this time the gentleman stepped in, and a scene follom@r Mle Lola bestowed on the astonished gentleman divers unmentionable epithets and finally pitched into him; knocked him down with her pretty little fists. One of the bystanders held the ‘gentle lady’ and endeavored to pacify her, but before her fury subsided, she destroyed checks to the amount of $200 to show that filthy lucre was no object to her.” The American Theatre, a brick structure located on Sansome between Sacramento and California Streets, reopened on May 1, 1853, after some alterations and a new management. San Francisco Daily Herald, May 23, 1853: ‘‘Lola Montez worldwide diplomatic and dancing celebrity will appear at the LOLA DOING her famous "Spider Dance". There have been many versions_of.the props used in the dance, from the use of whalebone and rubber spiders to actual live ones. Lola's interpretation was that-of pantomiming the actions of a frantic woman invaded by spiders. It was customary for someone to throw flowers upon the stage for her to stamp and trample upon as if crushing the offending insects. (Courtesy of the Dance Collection, New York Public Library) By Doris el ~~ AMERIOAN 1 BANSOME Sr., Sarwesn CALIFO go MaDAger ec. s cece cece esee ee BENEPIT OF MI: THIS EVENIN will be presented bias ir AdrantUBecevecccccccccorecscacenes Clemanthu.-.ccc. cccceceeceeece ee Tu cenclude with the favorite ( SWId8s COM Tiise ts, (evitss Bonge.)--. eee eee

Nats Ticok.----.eeee sere ener eeees TO-MORROW EVENING -The LOLA MONTES, COUNTESS OF the hopor of making hor PERS’ ¥eaac'scoz-iu the Character of . LADY TEA in Sheridan‘s comedy of the “SC an porformed by her in the prin enthuniastic success raicks OF ADN Dress Circle and Parquette-:-:-(Eutrance on Sansc Becund Tier. or Pamily Circle---(Entrance éd door on Ul Thicd Tier, or Gallury.--:-eee eee (Entrance lat dovr on } P vivate Boxen WO DIT ALE lee 0 wvoresiee we Oe : Svatuesn be secured by applyin VA. at. til! P.M, and from.3.ti RS Tine: -Doors vpen at 7 0% quarter before 8. = BRI Ap eflicieut Volice has bee eer will be enforced. American Theatre on Thursday nigh principal cities of the United States Atlantic side of the continent has mac among the theatre-going public. Att success of other artistes, M’lle . appreciation and the gallantry of a. whatever be her artistic merits, th critically judged and liberally rews existing to see a person so much talk America for several years, and who heroine of so many strange incidents, filled to overflowing on the occ appearance. Mr. Charles of the Roye lead the orchestra, and Mr. J. S. EF Montes.” The following article from The G: printed after Lola’s San Francisco del rest of mankind have either seen or h woman, we will not speak of her as might demand. Suffice it to say that politician, the nobless and the ‘fair s and that her name has attracted to th brilliant and overflowing audiences e who have given her talents a most une cordial manner in which she has bee: we admire Lola’s acting, but we do th Success to the Countess of Landsfeldt American tomorrow evening.” The impact Lola made on the city June was typified by Grace Greenwor of her performances. ‘‘Everybody kn .-& nice and proper person, yet everyt dancing enchantress, who owned wayward, though never wicked;’ that tamer of young husbands. Everybod; subjéct for one perilous evening to tk entangling eyes and Circean fascinati a dancer, and she was hardly that. I wanting in grace and artistic finish. disdain of the ordinary arts of the . -seemed, on the piquant beauty of her costumes. Her form was light and lith perfect symmetry. Beautiful she was