Lillian Norton Nordica 1904 ad for Coca Cola/Joyful226

Born in Farmington Maine in 1857 Lillian Nordica was the second of the famed Coca Cola serving tray ladies.. She came after Hilda Clark who graced the Coca Cola serving tins and calendars as well as other advertising for them from 1889 to 1903 until Hilda married. After Hilda Coca Cola hired Lillian Nordica, She worked for them from 1904-1905. The above picture of her was their first advertising picture of her for the year 1904 Here is a little more about this famous beauty: Following some private lessons, Lillian Norton entered the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, her first instructor being John O'Neil. Here was laid a fine foundation for her splendid career. She was the first singer to be heard in the new Trocadero in Paris. In Milan, San Giovanni fitted her for the stage, and she made her debut in La Traviata at Brescia, Italy, April, 1879. Where her name was changed from Lillian Norton to Nordica,Later immediate engagements included that at St. Petersburg in 1880; Paris Grand Opera House in 1882 Faust; Academy of Music, New York, 1883, as Marguerite in Faust; London, 1887. She then sang for six seasons with the de Reszke. She was the first American woman asked to sing at the Bayreuth Festival; German opera houses then were open to her, and there was great surprise at a soprano that could sing Wagnerian roles in tune. Nordics association with the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, during the latter half of the 90's, lent luster to that galaxy of artist, not since duplicated in any opera house. An honor of that time was her participation in the opening of the Boston Opera House, where she sang in LA Gioconda. Critics agree that Miss. Nordica possessed a voice of liquid purity, exceptional range and magnificent power. These, combined with a charming personality, rare dramatic gift and an obsession for patient study, enabled her to win success in a most exacting profession. Her fame penetrated to every civilized corner of the earth, and her name was synonymous with everything fine in vocal art. (December 12, 1857 – May 10, 1914) Miss Nordica established herself as one of the foremost dramatic sopranos of the late 19th century and early 20th century due to the high quality of her powerful yet flexible voice and her ability to perform an unusually wide range of roles in the German, French and Italian operatic repertoires By 1913, Nordica's voice and health were in decline. This did not prevent her from embarking misguidedly on a strenuous recital tour to Australia. She nearly missed the ship leaving Sydney on her return, but wired the captain asking him to wait for her. It would prove to be a fatal mistake. The Tasman hit a coral reef, where it remained for three days, and Nordica suffered hypothermia (exposure) from which she never recovered. She lingered for months, seeming to improve, only to fail again. She died on May 10, 1914, in Batavia (now Jakarta) on the island of Java. Pneumonia carried her off in the end. Her birthplace in Farmington, Maine, is today the Nordica Memorial Homestead, a museum and historic site. Nordica Auditorium in Merrill Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington is named after her. Folklore: At the University of Maine at Farmington, it is said that the Ghost of Lilian roams the auditorium that was given to the university in her name. Some evenings you are able to still hear her sing in the stage area.

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Joyful226 Lillian Nordica coca cola victorian vintage

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