2024-01 Raynors Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 1/21/2024
Lillie Langtry, (1853-1929) - One of the most famous actresses of the 19th century, Langtry was born in Jersey, an island off the coast of Normandy, France on October 13, 1853. Promiscuous from the start, Lillie had a number of affairs during her marriage, usually to prominent and wealthy men, the most notable of which was the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria's son Albert Edward ("Bertie"), the future King Edward VII. Lillie's theatrical career was booming, as crowds flocked to see her beauty. Making her debut in New York in 1882, she found her American audience to be even more adoring. Five years later she became an American citizen and divorced her husband. When a transcontinental tour of the U.S. brought her to Texas, she picked up an ardent admirer by the name of Judge Roy Bean. Though he never met her, Bean struck up a correspondence with the popular actress, named his saloon in Langtry, Texas, the "Jersey Lilly," and when the small village became eligible for a post office, he claimed he called the town Langtry, in her honor. Music sheet, 10" x 13", uncolored, disbound, 6pp, Chicago 1882 with a large engraved image of the Jersey Lilly taken from the Chicago photo (output copy attached).
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