MAY DE SOUSA : FROM RICHES TO POVERTY : ACTRESS/SINGER : RPPC 1908

Description: This vintage real photo postcard features, American stage actress, and singer, May de Sousa (1884-1948). She is in costume for an unidentified role. De Sousa had many successes, but she lived a tragic life. Her father was a Chicago police detective. She became famous in 1898, I at about 14 years of age, when she sang "Dear Midnight of Love". This song was a ballad by bathhouse John Coughlin. He was a Chicago politician and woulld-be songwriter. In 1901 she was hired by Frank Perley as one of the principles for his touring company. Next, she became the understudy for Alice Nielson in a San Francisco production. In 1902 she was invited to go to London with the cast of that show, but she turned down the opportunity because she was afraid of the sea voyage. She then joined the cast of the highly successful operatic fantasy, "The Storks". In 1904 she joined the cast of the Wizard of Oz. That same year, she became part of the cast of."Babes in Toyland". At this point, she had become a very popular actress. She then went to London to star in a production of Cinderella. She followed that up with other stage successes in London. Although she had much success in light operatic roles, she wanted to display her talent as a dramatic actress. In 1908 she was one of the first american actresses to perform at the Moulin Rouge. While in Paris she was reported missing because she did not contact friends or family for over five weeks. She returned without explanation. She was now a star in both the United States and England. In 1910, her mother was discovered dead in a room filled with gas. It was unknown whether her mother's death was accidental or by suicide. In 1910, May married a stockbroker. Their marriage was very, troubled from its beginning. Her husband had lied about his finances, and the financial burden fell on the De Sousa. In addition, her husband frequently physically, abused her. After two years of marriage, she divorced him on the grounds of cruelty and financial desertion. De Sousa continued her career in both America, and Europe. De Sousa appeared in 8 Broadway plays between 1905 and 1915. She was performing in France shortly before the start of World War I and barely escaped Germany's invasion of France. In 1913, she was forced to declare bankruptcy. In 1918, she toured Australia with a theatrical company. While there, in about 1919, she married a local doctor and the pair moved to Shanghai. She performed there with amateur companies. In 1941 her husband died, and in around 1943 she was imprisoned for seven months as a civilian intern by the Japanese. When she returned to Chicago, she worked as a scrub woman in a public school. Her health was very much compromised by her internment, she soon was forced to quit her job due to not being healthy enough to perform her tasks. She became malnourished and died in poverty and alone. She was a charity case in the county hospital when she died in 1948. May DeSosa had risen to become the toast of Europe and America, but died isolated and forgotten. She was buried in a pauper's grave. This vintage postcard was published by G.L. Co. (Gustav Liersch & Co., Berlin) as part of a series (No.3158/3). This postcard has some silvering and is in good condition (see scans).

Price: 14 USD

Location: Northport, New York

End Time: 2025-01-13T20:52:28.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.85 USD