The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1890-02-20
LITTLE AoELlNA PATTI.
How the Future Queen Of Song Looked
and Acted in 1855.

How the Future Queen Of Song Looked
and Acted in 1855.
A writer in Belford's7 Magazine tells
this anecdote of Adelina Patti as she
was before she made her first pubficap
pearance. The contrast between the
picture he draws and the vision that the
name of the petted diva now calls up is
a striking one. He says:
In the year 1916 was an artist, hav-
ing drifted into the line of drawing on
wood for engravers; and my studio, if it
could so becallcl, waszin most curious
locality, on the corner of Ann and Mas
sau, the building, removed long ago,
being an old church transformed into
Offices, in which artists, literary men,
journalists, architects and brokers were
ejammed-in-a heterogeneous way to-,
gether.4 This was not an uncommon
thing in those days, when dwellings
were common downtown, and the adj
jacent streets, now entirely devoted to
stores and offices, were full of families
of absolute pretensions to gentility, al
most aristocracy, and even Wall street
and Maiden Lane had not lost their
last private dwellings.
Into his office or studio one day.
walked an old friend leading by the
hand tall, gaunt girl, with nothing no
ticeable about her but her eyes, which
were of piercing hazel-brown, and an
nounced to me that he wanted portrait
Of the little girl. The man was Maurice
Strakosch, even then well-known
operate manager, and the girl was the
since world-famous Adelina Patti, the
sister-in-law of Strakosch, who had mar
ried Emile, the oldest of the Patti girls.
Strakosch told me that he was about to
bring Adelina out as a singer in con-
certs, and, finally, on the operatic.stage;
and very quietly and confidently said
that she would make the greatest prima
donna the world had ever knaMn. How
far this prediction has been answered /
leave that world to judge, butt freely
admit that l inwardly scoffed at it then;
and even when he got the little, brown,
shy, awkward creature to sing verse Of
II Segreto in English, my own transla-
ton, and the first published TRANSACTIONS
of the Italian operas.,,i in this country, /
failed to see the budding genius.
Strakosch did, however; and was so.sure
of it that he almost alienated the affec-
ton Of the little donna by the severity
of his training.
The drawing was made, the first ever
taken of her, and being engraved. was
used for advertising purposes. Two.
weeks after thisss she made what be-
j ieve was her first appearance at Tripler
Hail., which then stood on broadway OPP
posite Bond street and was afterward
burned and the Winter Garden Theater
built on the ground. At this concert,
as recollect, she sang in English, al
though she was then a good Italian
linguist, and to her own accompani-
ment; and when the audience enthu-
siastieally applauded she sprang to her
feet, and, with flashing eyes, clapped
her hands as enthusiastically as any
one. Then thought she wasNpretty.
Jones-'I suppose you take lots OF
comfort with your new baby, Brown?'
Brown--.sWell, / should say SO. Let ms
tell You how cunning he Isl Jones
I'D very much like to hear, but to tell
the truth I'm, due on the next block in
four hours from now. Some Other tims
Brown. Judge.