ROSES and LILY

 

LILLIE LANGTRY BECOMES INDEPENDENT OF HER HUSBAND, FOUNDS A THEATRE AND BECOMES A BUSINESS WOMAN.

Excerpt pages 246-247: in 1882, after success in Britain, Lillie founded her own theatre company and took it on a tour of the United States. She found that her reputation had preceded her, so she played to full houses wherever she went.  She made repeated tours of the States that were Equally successful. And she collected male admirers along the way.  One of them, wealthy horse breeder Freddie Gebhard, spent a fortune on her.  Her earnings from the theatre and Freddie's expensive fits enabled her to start a winery and, like Freddie, breed horses. She became an American citizen in 1887m which enabled her finally to have her marriage to her first husband, Edward, dissolved.  The marriage was ended by a California court, but legal opinion at the time suggested that the divorce was invalid in Britain and indeed anywhere outside California...

Lillie Langtry had another relationship, a violent one, with a man who also had a passion for horses.  In 1893 he died and left her more horses and she had a business named Mr. Jersey.  I note that she did not use Miss or Mrs. Jersey.  This put it into perspective for me that this Victorian Era woman had to deal with the extremely limited options women had at that time.  Queen Victoria might have ruled, but most women could only achieve power and status through their husbands or associations with men. And it's often still the same way.

Do you have a mentor, patron, benefactor? Is there anyone you can count on for a personal loan, gift, scholarship or internship?

Please leave me a comment!

Missy
 

CARRY ME WITH YOU

 

OSCAR WILDE ENOURAGED LILLIE LANGTRY TO BECOME AN ACTRESS AFTER BEING A MISTRESS TO EDWARD ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES

 

Excerpt page 246

Oscar Wilde suggested that she should capitalize on her fame by taking to the stage.  She got her first taste of performing on stage at an amateur dramatic production in Twickenham, southwest London.  That led to an appearance in a charity performance at the Haymarket Theatre in London.  her name on the bill and the attendance of the Prince of Wales ensured a full house.  The critics praised her performance.  As a result, she was offered a contract to appear professionally at the Haymarket.  The prince continued to take his place in the royal box to support her.  Even though they were no longer lovers, they remained friends....

Missy here:  I think of Pamela Digby Churchill Harriman also, as she was known to stay friends with the men she had been mistress to. 

Think about this.

Some men break with you saying they just want to be friends, because they don't want you to be mad at them, and you never hear from them again. Is being friends with someone you had a romantic and sexual relationship with worth the effort?  Can it be done when you've moved into another relationship?  Between relationships?

Let me know what you think!  Use Comments!  If you don't want me to publish what you write and it's just for me to read, start by typing "Do Not Publish."

SO MANY WAYS TO LOVE

 

LILLIE LANGTRY's FRIEND OSCAR WILDE WROTE THE POEM ROSES AND RUE FOR HER

Though Oscar Wilde was likely bisexual; opinions differ.  He did marry.  He might have been repressed. He was reportedly in love with Lillie Langtry.

Roses and Rue

by Oscar Wilde

Could we dig up this long-buried treasure,
Were it worth the pleasure,
We never could learn love's song,
We are parted too long

Could the passionate past that is fled
Call back its dead,
Could we live it all over again,
Were it worth the pain!

I remember we used to meet
By an ivied seat,
And you warbled each pretty word
With the air of a bird;

And your voice had a quaver in it,
Just like a linnet,
And shook, as the blackbird's throat
With its last big note;

And your eyes, they were green and grey
Like an April day,
But lit into amethyst
When I stooped and kissed;

And your mouth, it would never smile
For a long, long while,
Then it rippled all over with laughter
Five minutes after.

You were always afraid of a shower,
Just like a flower:
I remember you started and ran
When the rain began.

I remember I never could catch you,
For no one could match you,
You had wonderful, luminous, fleet,
Little wings to your feet.

I remember your hair - did I tie it?
For it always ran riot -
Like a tangled sunbeam of gold:
These things are old.

I remember so well the room,
And the lilac bloom
That beat at the dripping pane
In the warm June rain;

And the colour of your gown,
It was amber-brown,
And two yellow satin bows
From the shoulders rose.

And the handkerchief of French lace
Which you held to your face-
Had a small tear left a stain?
Or was it the rain?

On your hand as it waved adieu
There were veins of blue;
In your voice as it said good-bye
Was a petulant cry,

"You have only wasted your life."
(Ah, that was the knife!)
When I rushed through the garden gate
It was all too late.

Could we live it over again,
Were it worth the pain,
Could the passionate past that is fled
Call back its dead!

Well, if my heart must break,
Dear love, for your sake,
It will break in music, I know,
Poets' hearts break so.

But strange that I was not told
That the brain can hold
In a tiny ivory cell
God's heaven and hell.

The Morgan Library and Museum Link to the manuscript!

I dare you to write a love poem and give it to the person who inspired it!

Missy

TO MY VALENTINE

 

LILLIE LANGTRY's PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP WITH EDWARD ALBERT, PRINCE OF WALES AS HIS OFFICIAL MISTRESS SPARKED HER INTEREST IN HORSES

Excerpt Page 244

Very soon, the prince (Edward Albert, Prince of Wales) acknowledged Lillie as his official mistress and appeared in public with her.  They were seen riding together in Hyde Park and attending horse races, which sparked Lillie's lifelong interest in horses.  They enjoyed yachting regattas and weekends in the country. She was finally able to wear the finest dresses, given free of charge by designers who wanted the famous Lillie Langtry to be seen wearing their creations.  Aristocrats and foreign royalty wanted to meet her too.  And everyone wanted to know about the events she attended, what she wore, how her hair was styled, what she said and what she did.  She was famous as a film star today.  In 1878, she was even presented to Queen Victoria...

INNER BEAUTY : DECLARATION FOR MISTRESSES

"I will bring forth my inner beauty."  

Mistresses are often thought to be trading their outer beauty for wealth. But history doesn't prove this to be true. Some mistresses were plain looking, some heavy, and some were not especially intelligent. Yet they had their appeal. Personality - and compatibility - is important! And not all men who have mistresses are actually wealthy. Some are well to do or comfortable. Many mistresses are still providing most of their own support.

C 2009 -2025 Mistress Manifesto BlogSpot

First published September 12, 2009