Nice Story(PART 2 OF 4)
La Belle Otero
Born on November 4, 1868
Died on April 12, 1965 (aged 96)
Occupation: dancer, actress, courtesan
Born Agustina Otero Iglesias in Valga, Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain), her family was impoverished, and as a child she moved to Santiago de Compostela working as a maid.
At ten she was raped, which left her sterile, and at fourteen she left home with her boyfriend and dancing partner, Paco, and began working as a singer/dancer in Lisbon.
She reportedly married an Italian nobleman, Count Guglielmo, when she was 14.
Her second husband, whom she married in 1906, was René Webb, an English cotton spinner.
In 1888 she found a sponsor in Barcelona who moved with her to Marseille in order to promote her dancing career in France.
She soon left him and created the character of La Belle Otero, fancying herself an Andalusian gypsy.
She wound up as the star of Les Folies Bèrgere productions in Paris.
Career as courtesan
Within a short number of years, Otero grew to be the most sought after woman in all of Europe.
She was serving, by this time, as a courtesan to wealthy and powerful men of the day, and she chose her lovers carefully.
She associated herself with the likes of Prince Albert I of Monaco, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Kings of Serbia, and Kings of Spain as well as Russian Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, the Duke of Westminster and writer Gabriele D'Annunzio.
Her love affairs made her infamous, and the envy of many other notable female personalities of the day.
Six men reportedly committed suicide after their love affairs with Otero ended, although this has never been substantiated beyond a doubt.
It is a fact, however, that two men did fight a duel over her.
She was pretty, confident, intelligent, with an attractive figure, and was famed for her voluptuous breasts, and one of her most famous costumes featured her breasts partially covered with glued-on precious gems, and the twin cupolas of the Hotel Carlton built in 1912 in Cannes were said to have been modeled after her breasts.
It was once said of her that her extraordinarily dark black eyes were so captivating that they were "of such intensity that it was impossible not to be detained before them".
World's first film star
In August 1898, in St-Petersburg, the French film operator Félix Mesguich (an employee of the Lumière company) shot a one-minute reel of Otero performing the famous "Valse Brillante", making her possibly the first movie star in history.
The screening of the film at the Aquarium music-hall provoked such a scandal (because an officer of the Tsar's army appeared in this frivolous scene) that Mesguich was expelled from Russia.
Later life
Otero retired after World War I, purchasing a mansion and property at a cost of the equivalent of US$15 million.
She had accumulated a massive fortune over the years, about US$25 million, but she gambled much of it away over the remainder of her lifetime, enjoying a lavish lifestyle, and visiting the casinos of Monte Carlo often.
She lived out her life in a more and more pronounced state of poverty until she died of a heart attack in 1965 in her one-room apartment at the Hotel Novelty in Nice, France.
As a neighbor said of Otéro's last days, "She was constantly talking about her past, and I was not listening any more. It was always the same: feasts, princes, champagne."
Of her heyday and career, Otéro once said, "Women have one mission in life: to be beautiful. When one gets old, one must learn how to break mirrors. I am very gently expecting to die."
SOURCE: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
PICTURES: From the Denman Library
The above bio says, she was born Agustina Otero Iglesias.
Yes, it does.
But, Kato, you said, her name was Carolina Augustina Carasson, didn't you?
Yes, I did. I was puzzled myself.
Then the above record in Wikipedia is wrong, isn't it?
Well..., yes, probably, but people sometimes change their names, you know. La Bella Otero disliked her original name, and later she might have changed her name into Carolina Augustina Carasson. Anyway, La Bella Orero called herself Carolina Augustina Carasson. Therefore, she named her residence "Villa Carolina" after her first name.
Where is the villa?
It was on the Grande Corniche shown in the following map:
Kato, you say it was... that means, it's gone now?
No, not really. When I visited the place, the name and the owner have been changed. The new owner changed it into a hotel, which is currently called "Hermitage du Col d'Eze", I assume. I asked the maids and the bell boy about the previous owners, but none of them seemed to know about La Bella Otero. So, I didn't really know what Villa Carolina had turned into.
La Bella Otero purchased the villa in 1913, and decided to make it the place of her retirement. It was a magnificent 15-room mansion, and she hired three servants, a cook and a gardener.
And when did she sell it?
In 1924. She lost money in the casino, and was forced to sell it.
Was she a gambler?
Yes, she was. She won a million and lost a million. La Bella Otero was a born gambler.
So, she was infamous for gambling, wasn't she?
Yes, she was.
And she was also infamous for the love affairs with European kings, princes and dukes, wasn't she?
You're absolutely right.
Tsu, tsu, tsu...what an indecent woman! Kato, how come you're interested in such an unseemly woman?
Well..., in a sense, she was like a self-made Cinderella.
What made you think so?
Here is an interesting episode. Diane, why don't you read the following story?
Maxim's in Paris
On November 4, 1898, at the renowned restaurant, Maxim's in Paris, a reunion took place at a grand round table.
Around the sumpteously prepared and reserved table were a vast number of the powerful men of the world: King Leopold II of Belgium, gigantic King Nikita of Montenegro, Grand Duke of Russia Nicholas Nicolaevich, Prince of Wales, and Prince Albert of Monaco.
King Leopold II of Belgium
King Nikita of Montenegro
Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaevich
Prince of Wales, Edward VII
Prince Albert of Monaco
These gentlemen chatting to each other seemed awaiting one person, because everyone looked to the entrance.
As a matter of fact, about half an hour later, a splendid woman appeared in a jeweled, low-necked black dress, escorted by the headwaiter and her assistants as the red curatin trimmed by gilt braids raised at the end of the hall.
As soon as they saw her, the five gentlemen of royal blood stood up in union, like a sole event of a scene prepared for a long time, they said as all others raising their glasses, "Best wishes to you, Señorita!"
When the crystal cups clinked on all sides of the hall, the new comer thanked and took her seat. Like a queen, indeed, an empress, Caroline Augustina Carasson, nicknamed as La Bella Otero, celebrated, surrounded by princes and sovereigns, her 30th birthday.
PHOTOS: from the Denman Library
Kato..., is this a fiction?
Oh, no, it isn't. This was indeed a historical event.
Are you sure?
Yes, of course, I am.
So, you want to tell me about the indecent, infamous woman, don't you?
No, not really. Actually, I wanna tell you another story about the Grande Corniche, which you might be interested in.
Tell me, then.
Well, do you remember Grace Kelly?
Yes, of coutrse, I do. She gave us a real Cinderella story.
The movie called "To Catch a Thief", in which Grace Kelly played a heroine, was filmed on the Grande Corniche.
(To be continued)