FAME & MISFORTUNE

A stunningly provocative entertainer and temptress during the 19th century, brimming with a fiery temper and irresistible charm, Lola Montez was infamous during her own lifetime as a female force to be reckoned with.

Married three times, with dozens of lovers including Alexandre Dumas, Franz Liszt, and King Ludwig I (who made her a countess), her ambition and propensity to attract powerful men knew no bounds. An adventurous spirit in constant search of notoriety and success, her travels took her across four continents, including America, where she made a name for herself in California's gold country and crossed paths with Sam Brannan, one of her many suitors.

Whether dressing as a man and wielding a horsewhip against men who maligned her, lifting her skirts to raise money and eyebrows in her erotic spider dance, or becoming the first woman ever photographed smoking a cigarette, Lola Montez is one bewitching, long-lashed, blue-eyed beauty you will not soon forget.