The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-06-25
Queen of VampS
Has Passed Away

Has Passed Away
With the death, just announced, OF
Hortense Schneider-"La Belle Hell
enc" and LA Grande Duchess de
Gerolstein," as she was affectionately
named for her creation of two roles
in Offenbach's operas away back in
1.-THE days of the second empire-passes
a super-siren whose love affairs with
royalty and nobility were the talk OF
Europe and who was said to have
l"kicked herself into the alteration OF
masculine Paris as the first and
greatest can-caniste.
Hortense Schneider, 100 per cent
"vamp" more than half a century be-
fore the word came into vogue, died
at the age of So She was born in
Bordeaux and went on the stage at
Is, but it was in 1864 when she was
blonde beauty of 26, that she ruled
| DIS lu6 uuClOhhco quCCh III IAlC sd.
Paris of Napoleon ILL., He himself
was mad over her and gave her, in
her own words "a peck of jewels"
She began her Partisan career in
one of the little summer theatres Of
the Champs Elysees. But her real
debut was at the Comis theatre in
the title role of the Princess of Of
fenbachs LA Belle Helene" From
the contemporary description of her
appearance, one gathers she would
have made the same sort of hit dane
ing the "shimmy" in Broadway the
alter of today
Princes and dukes were at her feet
and paid royalty for the privilege
of being there. When she was star
ring in another Offenbaeh opera, La
Grande Duchesse de Geroldstein," Car
Alexander II of Russia telegraphed
ahead to have box reserved at her
theatre and begged her to sup with
him after the performance.
Napoleon and the Empress Eugene
were virtually snubbed by the car,
for the sake of LA Grande Duchess
since he begged off from state din
ner the French rulers had arranged
at the palace to rush to Hortense,
Nor was he the only visiting royal
parsonage who paid greater homage
to the queen of the opera bouffe than
to the empress of the French.
Among Hortense's admirers was one
of the most famous Lovelaces of the
day, the Duke de Grammot Caderouse.
She nearly ruined him and then lent
him 10000 francs, intimating that she
expected to be remembered in his will
his health has been undermined by
his excuses. From his lawyer she
exacted a receipt in which a cipher
had been added to the $4,000 francs,
making it 10000. She got the money
after the dukes death.
She was said to have received gen
erous "hush money" from the Duke de
Lynes and the Duke de Talleyrand
| and she had a series of hectic adven-
lures with the Prince de Demidoff.
After her success in the role, she
called herself LA Grande Duchess de
Gerolstein," and by fourishing this
title once won the royal right to drive
into the Champ de Mars when the
great international exhibition was
held there in 1867.
Until the fall of the second empire
she could fill any theatre in Paris.
During the Franco-Prussian war she
| hid herself, but returned to Paris
with the accession of MacMahon amt
built fantastic villa at the entrance
of the Bots de Boulogne, the garden
of which adioined Prince Murat's, Ia
ter James Gordon Benefits residence.
There she gave wonderful enter
tainments, at which the heirs appar-
ent of half the kingdoms of Europe
were present. Naturally, she had
many suitors, but she refused all Of
fers until in 1881, she surprised all
her friends by accepting the hand and
name of an Italian, a Comte de Bion-
ne. They soon separated, Ho.tense
ASSERTING that her husband was
squandering her large fortune. Also
there was some question as to the
validity of his title. She withdrew TO
convent in 1900, but did not long
remain there.
Her last appearance in the news
was in 1915, when she presented her
beautiful villa at Fecamp to the Or
pheliant des Arts, society formed TO
care for the orphaned children Of sol
diers who had been in one of the ar
tistic professions. At that time she
was living in strict retirement az
Auteuil, with only the memories OF
her romantic career as queen of opera
and of hearts.