The corset was in it's heyday in Lillie's Victorian London, where it was fashionable to be plump, with a dramatically tiny waist.
Once the toast of London society, Lillie Langtry, born Emilie Charlotte le Breton, daughter of a Jersey clergyman, attracted the attention of Prince Albert Edward, “Bertie”, son of Queen Victoria, who later became King Edward VII of England. Their flagrant disregard for the morality of the day was never more evident than when, at a gathering, Bertie was heard to remark to the beautiful Lillie, “I’ve spent enough on you to buy a battleship!” She snapped back “And you’ve spent enough in me to float one!” Their romance flourished for three years, before Lillie, playfully, slipped a piece of ice down Bertie’s back at a party. Bertie was unamused and abruptly ended their relationship.
When the invitations suddenly stopped, Lillie decided to take up acting to support the lavish lifestyle to which she had become accustomed. Although history reports that her acting ability was mediocre, her beauty, reputation and ability to attract lovers of high station ensured her financial security. She became the first celebrity to publically endorse a product, and her image was used to sell Pears Soap. Her photo postcards adorned the walls of gentlemen’s clubs, army barracks and saloons all over the world, making her the first “pin up girl”. She toured America, winning the hearts of theater-goers and men from all walks of life. The infamous Judge Roy Bean renamed his town Langtry, Texas, and his saloon became the “Jersey Lily”, in her honor. At his death, he willed her his revolver, which had served also as his gavel. She is reported to have used it several times to defend her honor.
Among her closest friends, Lillie counted some of the greatest minds of the day; playwright Oscar Wilde, author Victor Hugo, Queen Mary, artists Whistler and Milais. In 1899, she married the much younger Hugo de Bathe, and became Lady de Bathe. In her later years, she became a patron of the arts, owned a California vineyard, and owned a stable of fine racehorses. She died wealthy and alone in Monaco in 1929, unrepentant of a life she considered well-lived, and one that certainly qualifies her as Tart of the Week!
