After the dazzling Cécile Sorel and the mutineer Anna Held , meet the beautiful and opportunistic Lillie Langtry . The one who was also an actress and mistress of the future King Edward VII of England will succeed in taking advantage of the incredible developments of her time to shape herself an imperishable image of goddess of beauty …
Only girl among six boys
Emilie Charlotte Le Breton , nicknamed "Lillie", was born in October 1853 on the island of Jersey. She is the youngest of a family of six boys. His father is a liberal, intelligent, educated, handsome, and profoundly good man:he is his role model in everything. His mother is an elegant and kind woman.
This happy youth, which takes place in an essentially masculine environment , will leave deep marks on Lillie's personality.
The girl equals her brothers in endurance, independence and boldness. No question of being left out! Behavior provoked by the feeling, perhaps unconscious, that being a girl is a handicap . All her life, she will strive to rise to the occasion, no matter the cost to herself or to others.
Lillie develops, unsurprisingly, a comfortable in relationships with men , and resistance to criticism. Intrepid and pranksters, his brothers are skilled riders, and horseback riding is a tradition in the family. By their side, Lillie develops her sense of humor , and she will devote all her life to horses a great passion. From year to year, she turns into a fulfilled young woman, and the island of Jersey no longer fulfills her dreams of adventure. In 1873, she met Edouard Langtry . This Irish widower seems rich, well-bred and he's quite nice to look at.
Impulsively, Lillie decides to marry him. Her parents consider her too young and suspect her suitor of making up the real state of her finances (they are not mistaken and this is one of the reasons that will push their daughter to embark on the theater). But Lillie insists , attracted by this man who exudes fortune, both material and social. She married on March 9, 1874.
Beginnings in the world
The couple moved to London. The beginnings are difficult, Lillie and Edouard have little knowledge in the English capital. Fortunately, in the spring of 1877, young Mrs Langtry came across Lord Ranelagh :she often rubbed shoulders with him when he was having a good time at his summer residence in Jersey.
He introduces her to his circle of friends, all members of London high society , including Lady Sebright, a great art lover who invites her to her home in May.
Lillie has just lost her favorite brother, Reginald, to a fall from a horse. So she goes to Lady Sebright wearing a black dress , very simply and without any jewelry (she doesn't have any anyway!)
She caused a sensation in this outfit, which would become her trademark , and began his "meteoric rise to stardom ". She binds with a society of authors and especially artists, including Franck Miles and John Everett Millais .
Miles was commissioned by Life magazine to make a series of portraits of the most beautiful women in London society, intended to be released in postcard format in numerous copies. Ash blond hair, blue eyes, square jaw, perfectly shaped mouth and Greek profile… Lillie is the embodiment of ancient beauty. A “Modern Day Helen the "Jersey Lily"...
He makes a sketch from life of Lillie, a portrait that will now sit alongside those of a small group of privileged women, praised for their great beauty.
Miles then made one of the first official portraits of Lillie, which shows her dozing against a background of lilies. As soon as it was finished, this portrait was bought by Prince Leopold , who hangs it above his bed at Buckingham Palace!
Thanks to Miles, she also meets Oscar Wilde , a character who will greatly contribute to his success. For him, her beauty is "a form of genius ". He will say:
The three women I have admired the most are Queen Victoria, Sarah Bernhardt and Lillie Langtry. I would have gladly married one of the three.
Making an icon
Miles, by brush , and Wilde, by the pen , shape the image of Lillie. She willingly accepts that her two admirers devote themselves to her interests , dictated by the expectations of high society.
Since the accession to the throne of Queen Victoria , London is experiencing significant industrial, political, economic and social upheaval. It is the advent of a mass culture:the sketches engraved on cards and the photographs gain in popularity and are produced in multiple copies . Lillie's portraits, thus available for quick consumption, boost her notoriety and gave him immediate fame.
Oscar Wilde, a brilliant and cultured man, instructs his protege , gives him Latin lessons and advises him on reading material. He is his mentor and even becomes the equivalent of a advertising agent . She consults him on fashion matters, but more importantly, career development.
It was Wilde who helped her create a character of her own, and who managed to make her last apprehensions disappear about popularity. With him, she learns to speak in public by keeping quiet about what is private or precious, and she discovers that charm equals power .
Courageous , she is not afraid of difficulty. Human but ambitious, sensitive to the adulation she arouses, she is ready to sacrifice everything for this position:family, friends, loves, reputation. His primary obsession becomes the control of how people perceive it. When she writes her Memoirs in the 1920s, it will transform all the painful episodes , or less glorious of its existence into something elegant and graceful.
Cleverly, Lillie builds a new identity as a beauty icon. In the meantime, she was the mistress of the Prince of Wales and inheriting the British crown, a status that helped the methodical construction of his character…
Mistress of the Prince of Wales
Prince Edward, born in 1841 and nicknamed Bertie , has long been kept out of government by his mother Queen Victoria. The sovereign never really recovered from the death of her husband Albert , and reigns over a wise Court, a model of virtue. She doesn't trust her heir, who leads a life at the antipodes of hers.
Edouard was never satisfied with the lifestyle advocated by his parents. Young, full of charm, he delights in this dissolute life which has been his for many years. Married to Alexandra of Denmark since 1863, with whom he lives at Marlborough House, he continues to maintain mistresses . His mother refusing to interest him in state affairs, Edouard seeks his pleasures elsewhere.
On May 11, 1877, accompanied by his sister Louise, a woman of great artistic talent, he went to King Street in the Millais gallery.> The painter's model is called Lillie Langtry and Bertie, charmed, let it be known that he wants to meet her . It was done two weeks later, during a dinner.
The relationship between Lillie and Bertie is still subject to controversy , so much the young woman will excel in the construction of an image of herself. Was Bertie really madly in love from Lillie? She was probably the ideal companion of his drunken nights, but not a great amorous passion...
She claims in her Memoirs having given herself to him at a court entertainment in Dorset, January 1878 , where his wife Alix refused to accompany him. But Alix was very present , and there is no mention of the Langtry during the festivities…
Anyway, her official status as "royal mistress" allows her to lead a lifestyle that she never imagined she could one day afford. The creditors are accommodating, she has clothes of incredible luxury delivered for a ridiculous price:they are well aware that she is a living advertisement for their exceptional pieces! Lillie will continue to dictate fashion for decades.
The young woman, from the beginning of the year 1879, was eclipsed by Sarah Bernhardt , which conquered all hearts in London, and to which Edouard was not insensitive. Soon after, she was invited to Marlborough House with her husband. The mere fact that Bertie invites Mrs Langtry to dinner with his wife Alix proves that she is no longer his mistress …
In 1880, the young woman began an affair with Louis Battenberg , cousin of Bertie. Soon, she finds herself pregnant. An officer in the navy, the prince is suddenly assigned to a boat that is going to the other side of the world. In March 1881, Lillie gave birth to Jeanne-Marie , which she entrusts to her mother… The little one will grow up thinking that Lillie is her aunt …
Back in London, Lillie is no longer the Prince of Wales' lover. But she was never in love from Bertie. What matters is that its status , certainly ephemeral, of royal mistress, established her notoriety for good!
Lillie at the theater re
When her relationship with the prince turns cold, Lillie is determined to continue on the path she has chosen. After two years as a high society darling , she can't live without adulation and flattery!
A career on stage seems natural. Its notoriety as beauty of the world and her relationship with the Prince of Wales will fill theaters! Oscar Wilde encouraged her in this direction and introduced her to Henrietta Labouchere , his first "stage coach .
It begins on November 19, 1881 in A Fair Encounter , but her first major role was as Kate Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer , which begins on December 15 of that same year. His career is launched.
Lillie's acting debut was driven by necessity , but she quickly shows a sincere desire to develop their talents. She took intensive courses in Paris to improve her performance, with the famous Frenchman Joseh Regnier, who agreed to spend the summer of 1883 working exclusively with her.
Lillie's drive to improve is proven by this remark she blurts out about Sarah Bernhardt:
I despair of ever becoming a proper actress when I work on stage with her, and would definitely trade my beauty, whatever it is, for a hint of his immense talent.
Some critics judge his stage performances with severity . Loulou Harcourt writes, after seeing her in School for Scandal in 1885:
She is really good when she plays a woman of the world evolving in society, but as soon as she tries to show passion or some strong feeling, she is very bad and flaunts her incompetence as an actress. But people still go to see her because she's Mrs Langtry and she's dressed by Worth.
Because it's not for her acting talent, completely honorable moreover, let the crowds move. It's for the chance to see the famous beauty whose image they have seen many times. Lillie has a huge influence on the acting world, defining the "type" of actresses to come:beauty will count more than talent , and this until the eve of the First World War!
Bertie continues to care for Lillie. Thanks to his influence , she received an almost royal welcome during her tour of the United States , which she began on October 23, 1882, just after her 29 th anniversary. This is where she met Fred Gephard , a wealthy heir and owner of magnificent racehorses . Lillie becomes his partner, from a professional point of view then quickly they begin a romantic relationship.
Lillie is also the first woman to lend her image to a brand , Pears Soap , to advertise . It will be another good decade before the women of high society decide to follow the example of Lillie, whose brilliance is much commented on:
Ladies of quality were horrified, and it was whispered in high circles that Ms. Langtry had sold herself with abandonment of a prostitute.
The young woman continues to build her character . Freddie Gebhard buys him his own private wagon , The Lalee , Indian name for "Flirt". Real luxury house on wheels , with living room, private bathroom, two bedrooms and spaces reserved for servants. Perfect, because it attracts attention from everywhere!
New loves, same fight
Lillie and Fred never leave each other. They live together in their property in Guenoc Valley, near San Francisco . They also own a ranch with stables, orchards and an imposing wine estate, the Langtry Farms .
They soon rose to the rank of best producers of quality wines of the region:Lillie's face, which appears on the label of all the bottles, drives up sales!
They continue to breed and train well-known racehorses together, but Fred decides to end his relationship with Lillie . He refuses to continue living with a married woman. Lillie, who hoped one day to be able to marry Fred, must make up her mind and forget it. Later, she will admit that he was the love of her life.
She leaves for England, taking with her her mother and daughter . Her father having died, it is up to her to take care of her family.
Lillie Langtry's notoriety is intact in England. She realizes that there is no going back. Perched on her pedestal as a beauty icon, she becomes impenetrable and mysterious to others, therefore misunderstood. Only. But to remain a goddess of beauty and love , she is ready for anything.
It keeps happening on the stages of London, and also returns very often to America, where one speaks about it, object of scandal and admiration, in all the newspapers. If in the 1890s, the theatrical notoriety of Lillie diminishes, she will make appearances on stage until the end of her life.
She also decides to start, alone, in breeding race horses . She doesn't need Fred Gephard to succeed! It's a success:his horses are among the best on the market. It was in this environment that she met the man who would become her second husband.
The Marman horse, owned by a certain Hugo de Bathe , won the Goodwood Race Cup for her in 1899. She wryly noted, "Everyone loves a winner and she marries the master!
Edouard Langrty being died in 1897 , she is free to marry Hugo. She's 46, he's 28… It doesn't matter. It is true that a journalist, who will see Lillie seven years later in 1906, will judge that she looks to be still 20 years old!
Lillie spends less and less time in America, prohibition having put an end to its wine-growing activity. She becomes a regular at Monte Carlo and a great fan of its Casino. At the end of the war, Lillie moved to Monaco and grows closer to his daughter Jeanne-Marie, who gave him four grandchildren.
She makes many trips between London and Paris to visit her family, is committed to the right to vote for women , and cultivates this image of beauty that has become legendary, which makes people jealous.
To maintain her status, she always has heads full of projects :in 1906 she embarked on vaudeville, in 1909 she became passionate about writing and published a short story, then she made a silent film in 1913 and published her embellished autobiography in 1925.
Lillie Langtry died February 12, 1929 in Monaco, killed by the flu, at the age of 75. She will have achieved the goal she set for herself. Thanks to her determination, her ability to take advantage of all situations and her sense of communication, she will have imposed herself alongside the larger ones.
A beauty immortalized for eternity, and a personality that continues to intrigue...
Sources
♦ Lillie Langtry:Manners, Masks and Morals 
by Laura Beatty
♦ Women in the Arts in the Belle Epoque:Essays on Influential Artists, Writers and Performers 
by Paul Fryer
♦ Bertie:A Life of Edward VII 
by Jane Ridley
♦ Scarlet Women:The Scandalous Lives of Courtesans, Concubines, and Royal Mistresses 
by Ian Graham