Caroline “La Belle” Otéro
This 1910 era Reutlinger postcard, pictures a woman named Caroline
Otéro. Biography on Ms. Otéro is scarce, but we know a few
things about her that put her in that class of women known as the Grand
Dames of the Theatre.
After she gained fame
in the theatres of Europe, she seldom used the name Caroline and became
known as La Belle Otéro. Her career as an actress, singer, dancer,
and for the lack of a more genteel term, courtesan, took her to St. Petersburg,
Moscow, Paris, London, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, New York and dozens
of other world capitals.
Her fans – and there
were many of them – jammed concert halls and theatres to see her,
much the same as teenagers today flock to auditoriums around the country
to see their rock-star heroes.
The press was not kind
to Miss Otéro. She was accused of being the lover of no less than
six crowned-heads of state – including King Edward of England and
Czar Nicholas of Russia. Similar accusations were leveled at the kings
of Spain and Serbia, the Grand Duke Peter, and the Duke of Westminster.
It is a fact that at least two men fought a duel over her, and another
committed suicide because of her rejection of his advances.
Caroline Otéro was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1868. Her
family life was unstable and her parents cared little if Caroline was
part of their family. She left home at age twelve and found small jobs
in cafés, bordellos, and music halls. By 1889 she had worked her
way to Paris, where she joined the Follies Bergere at the age of
twenty-one – somewhat old by comparison to most Follies stars.
In
her second Follies season, Le Belle gained instant notoriety with
her new, self designed stage act. She had worked hard in the decade after
she left Barcelona and had acquired much wealth, most of it in the form
of jewels, precious gems and pearls. With the help the Parisian haute-couture
designer Collette, Otéro created a wardrobe of outlandish costumes
that included diamond and pearl brassieres. Naturally most men ogled her
and the women were jealous.
Legend has it that Le Belle Otéro was the darling of so many that her breasts became the inspiration for the two cupolas on the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, France. No argument could change the minds of those who believed that, but if you’re curious, the Riviera’s most famous hotel is pictured below.
Caroline Otéro acquired and squandered several fortunes. She enjoyed the casinos of Monte Carlo and was never bashful when spending her money. She paid nine million francs (in US dollars of today: $15, 000, 000) for the home in the south of France where she retired shortly after World War I.
Miss Otéro died in 1965 at the age of 97. She died penniless, but with her dignity intact and her most notable features immortalized at the Carlton Hotel.
