The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-12
LILY LANGTRY
FINDS HERSELF
UNKNOWN AT rs
London Birthday Party Brings
Her Remarkable Career to
an Anti Climax


a birthday party IN a tashlonaoie
London hotel the other night, and
the curious were Informed that she
was Lady de Bathe-"Lily Langtry,
you know"
Then there were EXPLANATIONS Of
surprise. Most of the diners thought
Lily Langtry had gone on" as mad
King EDWARD Vii and many otner
famous men and women with whom
this birthday cclebrant, in her
younger years, was on terms OF close
friendship.
thus was it demonstrated that
Lily Langtry is survivor OF her
own beauty and fame and general
popularity; an epilogue to a story
of shining wonder and beauty.
won World Acclaim
Postal card pictures OF this same
Lily Langtry once were sold by the
tens OF thousands. Newspapers ac-
claimed her. The United States
bowed to her loneliness; tar down
in Texas, near the Mexican border, a
town was named after her.
Now, even in her own England
she was unrccognized! 1t was a
strange anticlimax.
AS Emily Charlotte lie Breton,
Lily Langtry came from the Isle OF
Jersey, wnere she was born IN 1907,
the daughter of a clergyman. When
she was %, Edward Langtry visited
Jersey, met Emily, and married her.
Langtry was a factor in London
society. His wife quickly became
the "toast Of the town."
London society in those days was
famous for its very beautiful women.
They were known as professional
Beauties" and referred to as p.
BIS"
Sat For Portrait
Of all the up. BIS" Mrs. Langtry
was known as the most exquisite.
She was tall and slender with a
great crown OF golden hair and a
perfect Greek profile. Her fame
was sealed when the great painter,
J. E. Millais, himself from Jersey,
undertook to paint her portrait.
Millais painted her in simple
pose in a plain black dress and hold
ing a lily from Jersey. When the
portrait was exhibited at the annual
Royal Academy show it was labeled
"A Jersey Lily"
1t was the painting sensation of
the year. Also it labeled Mrs. Lang
try for life. She always was re-
fe1fed to as "the Jersey Lily" and
later, when she went on the stage,
she dropped her Emily Charlotte
and always was known as Lily
Langtry.
One Of the comical episodes Of the
time is the reference to her in
Truth" in 1877. This famous paper,
with very mixed metaphors said:
"A new beauty has appeared on
the horizon of London. Since the
advent OF this beautiful heiress all
former social lions have wasted their
dew-drops on the desert air and
vainly roar" The following week
Truth solemnly explained that Mrs.
Langtry was not an heiress.
Through typographical error,
Truth had called her this, when the
word meant was ''lioncss."
Denies Frivolous Legend
The Jersey Lily soon was swept
into the most exalted circles and
became q great favorite of the
Prince of Wales, afterward King Ed
ward Seventh. Out of that friend
ship arose a legend which has not
been thoroughly killed down to this
day.
1t was said that one night at a
big party Mrs. Langtry dropped a
chunk Of ice down the neck Of the
prince. Yesrs later, in writing her
memoirs, Mrs. Langtry vigorously
denied this story, saying she never
would SO far have forgotten good
manners.
Four years after her triumphal
debut in royal circles, her husbands
fortune was swept aside by reversos
in Ireland. She li--u i-icnds on the
stage and they * !ised her to cash
In on her youth nd beauty. She
made her debut with the famous
Bancrofts at the Haymarket theatcr
in 1881, playing the part of Kate
Hardcastle in "Shc Stops to Con-
quer."
Well known in America
A year later the ambitious young
woman formed her own company
and, among other roles, took that of
Rosalind in "As You Like It." She
was one of tho loveliest Rosalinds
of all time.
Lily Langtry became a competent
actress, but never a great one. She
made several lucrative tours of
America. She went there in 1886
and stayed three years, earning
more than 100000.
She appeared on American vaudc-
vile circuits in 1905, and was pre-
scented there in drama in 1912 and
1918.
She remained a widow for two
years after the death Of her husband
IN 1897, then married Sir Hugo de
Battle.
She retired late in 1915 and since
then has lived quietly in hci. villa,
"The 1ilv." near Mnnto CarlO