Lucia Elizabeth Vestris
| Lucia Elizabeth Vestris | |
|---|---|
plate to Our actresses, 1844
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| Born |
Elizabetta Lucia Bartolozzi January 1797 London, England |
| Died | 8 August 1856 London, England |
| Years active | 1815—1854 |
| Spouse(s) | Auguste Armand Vestris]] (1813—1817) Charles James Mathews (1835—1856; her death) |
Lucia Elizabeth Vestris (January 1797 – 8 August 1856) was an English actress and a contralto opera singer, appearing in works by Mozart and Rossini. While popular in her time, she was more notable as a theatre producer and manager. After accumulating a fortune from her performances, she leased the Olympic Theatre in London and produced a series of burlesques and extravaganzas, especially popular works by James Planché, for which the house became famous. She also produced his work at other theatres she managed.
She was born Elizabetta Lucia Bartolozzi in London in 1797, the first of two daughters of German pianist Theresa Jansen Bartolozzi and art dealer Gaetano Stefano Bartolozzi. He was a musician and son of the immigrant Francesco Bartolozzi, a noted artist and engraver, appointed as Royal Engraver to the king. Gaetano Bartolozzi was a successful art dealer, and the family moved to Europe in 1798 when he sold off his business. They spent time in Paris and Vienna before reaching Venice where they found that their estate had been looted during the French invasion. They returned to London to start over and Gaetano taught drawing. The couple separated in London and Therese gave piano lessons to support her daughters.
Lucia studied music and was noted for her voice and dancing ability. She was married at age 16 to the French dancer, Auguste Armand Vestris, a scion of the great family of dancers of Florentine origin, but her husband deserted her four years later. Nevertheless, since she had started singing and acting professionally as "Madame Vestris", she retained the stage name throughout her career.
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