And little man, little Lola wants you. . . .

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

~Anais Nin


Sometimes growth is painful, actually most of the time it is. It’s never easy, it requires effort, but the reward is oh so incredible and we are the better for it. . . usually. It all depends on which way the person grows. Sometimes people end up so much the worse with the bonus of taking people down with them. Example Lola Montez; born Eliza Oliver in 1818 Limerick, Ireland to an unwed, 15 year-old mother Eliza quickly became recognized for her “uncultivated” behavior.

Her mother later married her biological father, Ensign Edward Gilbert of the 25th Regiment and as a family they left for India. Shortly after arrival Gilbert died, Eliza’s mother went on to marry another officer who had little taste for Eliza’s untamed ways and sent her away to live back in England. It’s not documented whether Eliza ever saw her mother again.

Shifting around from boarding school to boarding school, Eliza eloped at 16 with Lieutenant Thomas James and the couple returned to India. Five years later they separated and Eliza began working as a professional dancer under her new name, Lola Montez.

In June 1843 Eliza returned to London as “Lola Montez, the Spanish dancer.” Though her initial performance was successful, she was recognized as the wife of James and left the island to avoid further scandal. This is where things get interesting. In 1954 Sarah Vaughan even made famous a song about Lola, “Whatever Lola Wants….” (BTW: there’s a sweet remix of this song on Buddha Bar VI).

Landing on the continent like a hurricane Lola quickly made herself known through affairs and affiliations with 19th Century figures like Franz Listz, George Sand and Alexandre Dumas before finding herself in the company of newspaper owner and drama critic, Alexandre Dujarier. Dujarier’s newspaper also happened to have the largest circulation in all of Paris and Lola had a need. On finding a little about the man she arranged a small accidental meeting. Dujarier was out horse riding and Lola staged an accident so they could meet.

Known notoriously for her outrageous style and outspoken attitude, Lola’s career as a dancer suffered greatly. Dujarier was the man she felt could turn it around, and for a time he did by writing glowing reviews of her in his paper. This though was an obvious failure to the French and Dujarier began losing credibility, friends, and support over his relationship with Lola. He told friends he was to marry Lola in the following spring. Lola never told him that she was still married. In 1845 at a party Dujarier insulted a fellow critic, Jean-Baptiste Rosemond de Beaupin de Beauvallon presumably over a comment on Lola and died in a duel with the man the following morning. Incidentally de Beauvallon was known for his skill with a pistol. Dujarier never had a chance. There was nothing left and Lola left Paris soon after.

Eventually finding her way into Munich posing as Spanish nobility Lola desired to be in the court of King Ludwig. Just as she had with Dujarier, Lola examined the situation until finding her way in. Count Otto Von Rechberg was Aide de Campe to Ludwig. And also just as she had done with Dujarier she arranged a meeting with Rechberg.

As Rechberg dined in an out door café one morning, Lola rode by on her horse. Suddenly the horse started and threw Lola to the ground, near the feet of Rechberg. As he helped her up, Rechberg became enchanted and eventually promised her a meeting with the King.

Lola arrived at the castle on the appointed day and as she waited she heard King Ludwig berating Rechberg as he had no time to meet with a “favor-seeking stranger.” Taking action Lola burst into the room; somewhere in the shuffle having the bodice of her dress torn there Lola stood, before the King with her breasts bore to the court. Lola had her stage to perform on within three days and Lola soon became Mistress to the King. Her stage performances were poorly reviewed, yet they continued.

Until this time Bavaria had been a peaceful, prosperous kingdom and King Ludwig was loved. He had been known to be fair and for his level headedness. When he met Lola though he began showering her with lavish gifts and writing her poetry. Like Dujarier, Ludwig started falling from favor and began losing credibility, friends, and support over his relationship with Lola.

Lola became a power behind the throne in advising Ludwig on matters of state. Other members of the court who spoke against Lola were dismissed. Lola’s power became greater than her and it went to her head. One day while walking her dog, it attacked a passer-by. Rather than bring the dog to heel, Lola began whipping the man with the dog’s leash. On another occasion as Lola rode her horse down a narrow path she came upon an elderly man riding in the same direction, but slower. Lola being unable to pass began slashing at the man with her riding crop. Soon it became public that Ludwig was working to make Lola a naturalized citizen, and a Countess.

This was too much for the citizens of Munich. The once peaceful peoples were now feared on the verge of civil war, rioting in the streets chanting, “Raus mit Lola!”? By early 1848 Lola was exiled from Bavaria. Five weeks later Kind Ludwig was made to abdicate his throne. The once loved king was no more. In exile, Lola received word of Ludwig’s loss of power and there she waited for Ludwig to come be with her. Ludwig never came and Lola left for England.

In England Lola found herself in the company of a young English army officer, George Trafford Heald. They fell in love and married in 1849. Heald came from a prominent English family and had a promising future. Unfortunately Lola remained married to James and for this was arrested soon after. Free on bail, Lola moved to Spain with Heald in tow to escape prosecution. There they fought terribly and within a few years Heald returned on his own to England to find himself entirely disinherited from his family, the army, and ostracized by society. Heald soon moved by himself to Portugal where within a few short months, he was dead.

Lola, ever looking to the horizon chose the United States as a destination. Germany, France, England. . . she was no longer welcome. In 1851 she left to make her start and for the next two years worked as a dancer in the Eastern United States before moving to San Francisco in 1853 where she met and married another newspaper owner, Patrick Hull. Hull’s friend and partner Louise Lull advised him against it. “That woman is ruining you. You are making a show of yourself, that woman has bewitched you,” Lull would say. Hull would never listen.

The marriage didn’t last more than a few months and yet Lola got the house where she stayed until news of another gold rush in Australia made it to the Americas. During her time in San Francisco Lola entertained the gold miners. Sydney seemed like the next logical step to her where she had seen men make and spend their wealth right before her eyes.

Lola didn’t last long in Australia. It was less than a few months before theaters started to sometimes enjoy and others suffer the benefit of her raucous performances. Again just as in France and Bavaria, Lola roused the ire of the press for such stunts as when pursued onto a ship by a sheriffs deputy holding a debtors warrant, she stripped naked and dared the deputy to seize her. He left without arresting her.

In 1856 the editor of The Ballarat Times, Henry Seekamp wrote an article critical of Lola as being immoral. Rumors had spread of her displaying her genetalia to the audience. The argument came to a head outside the United States Hotel in Ballarat where the two squared off with horsewhips. Lola won. They charged each other with assault and libel, the cases were dismissed with sympathy going to Lola. Lola then filed a warrant against Seekamp, but failed to appear on the appointed court date. Lola had been badly beaten by a wife of one of the miners she entertained. She spent a month recovering.

In 1857 Lola first returned to Britain, then the United States to deliver a series of lecture on moral virtues written by the Reverend Charles Chauncy Burr. Lola had suddenly changed and appeared genuinely repentant.

Lola began wasting away and soon died of Syphilis on January 16, 1861.

It all makes me think of the following from Chapter IV of the book, “Beyond Good and Evil” by Freidrich Nietzsche:

Apophthegms and Interludes

89. Dreadful experiences raise the question whether he who experiences them is not something dreadful also.