Circa 1900, Lina Cavalieri embodied Italian glamour. She was born Natalia Cavalieri in Viterbo on 25 December 1874. She grew up in Rome amid hardship. She sang in café-chantants by the 1890s. By circa 1898, she appeared at the Folies Bergère in Paris. Her beauty drew painters, photographers, and journalists. In 1900, she debuted at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. She trained seriously as a soprano. Critics noted her limited range but striking presence. She performed in Saint Petersburg and Monte Car

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