- Date:
- 1865
- Original Format:
- Carte de Visite
- Item#:
- MES24557
- Photographer:
- Poulton (London)
Desiree Artot (1835-1907)
Marguerite Josephine Desiree Montagney Artot was a Belgian mezzo-soprano, who studied with Pauline Viardot-Garcia in London and Paris. First performing at concerts in Belgium, Holland, and England, Artot joined the Paris Opera in 1858, recommended by Meyerbeer. Focusing on Italian repertory, Artot won acclaim throughout Europe as Angelina, Leonora, and Rosina. The vocalist sang at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1863 and Covent Garden in 1864, but spent most of her career in Germany. In 1869 Artot married Mariano Padilla, the Spanish baritone, and performed with him until her retirement. Their daughter, Lola Artot de Padilla, was a soprano who excelled as Zerlina and the Countess Almaviva. Here Artot poses wistfully at the Poulton studio in London.