Lillian Russell originally intended to be an opera singer. Much to the dismay of her mother, however, she opted for a career in popular musical theater and in 1879 made her New York stage debut in the chorus of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. Her statuesque beauty and lyric soprano voice soon led to progressively larger opportunities, and in the mid-1880s, following her triumph in both London and New York in the operetta Polly, her popularity soared. Over the next two decades she reigned supreme as America's most celebrated star of the popular musical stage. While men dreamed of wooing her, women imitated her dress and mannerisms, and all, regardless of sex, marveled at her opulent jewels and lifestyle.

This image shows Russell at a fairly young age. But she continued to maintain her allure into her forties. "Age does not wither this remarkable woman," noted an observer in 1909. "Think of it-there is not a wrinkle in her beautiful face!"