The most beautiful woman in America,
It stirred up the fashion scene in Paris.
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The afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the house through the glass, and outside the window, half of the sky had been dyed red by the sunset. In the studio where the vocals are fading, the painter Portini is holding a portrait, slightly scrutinizing.
Giovanni Portini self-portrait / 1865
On the wall beside him, the smiling smiles of famous ladies and ladies bloomed freely in the frame.
If the prosperity of Paris is an unforgettable feast, then these beautiful people he wrote about are the protagonists of this feast.
These women are an unmissable sight in nineteenth-century Paris and a witness to the Belle Époque.
However, for decades, he had seen all the faces of all living beings and painted thousands of celebrities, but every time he dropped his pen, the first thing that came to mind was always the astonishing posture of the lady looking at the world.
1, the beauty of a beautiful person is not only the face
She is Rita de Acosta, known as "the most beautiful woman in America".
A swan's neck is dotted with a string of polished pearl necklaces, a gentle dress sets off her figure, and a pair of slim jade feet are carefully wrapped in exquisite Andoni heels – this is what Portini saw when he first painted Rita. He always remembered that in order to show the most beautiful side, it took her two hours to find a satisfactory position.
Rita de Acosta / Giovanni Portini / 1911
Rita's father was a wealthy New York merchant and her mother was a member of the Spanish aristocratic Alba family.
Born in new York high society, Rita is an uncompromising American celebrity. With that all-out face and a unique understanding of fashion and art, Rita's fame has made it through all celebrities from Paris to London.
She wandered calmly among musicians, artists, and philosophers, with Degas, Rodin, Leo Tolstoy all being her friends, and Sarah Bernhardt and Debussy as confidants.
As a regular guest at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Rita's figure is always present in a crowd of servants and dozens of Louis Vuitton suitcases, and her arrival is also a sign that the city will usher in a top-of-the-line party full of friends.
Hotel Ritz / Pierre-Georges Jeannio / 1904
In the words of Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Frank Browninghilde, she belonged to Balzac's time and fiction, to Turgenev's pages, to Maupassant's story, to Edith Wharton's romantic and potential literary rival, and the moment she arrived at the Ritz, she lit up Parisian society.
Banquet/Jean Belord
On the side of such a worldly beauty, there is naturally no shortage of prominent suitors. In 1895, at the age of 19, Rita was impressed by William Stokes' ardent pursuit and married the multimillionaire. It was in their mansion on Manhattan's 72nd block that Rita, the hostess of the magnate, began her magnificent and artistic life.
Luxury apartment in Manhattan's 72nd block
Rita
With the support of her husband, Rita's artistic taste was fully tapped. She collected all kinds of rare art treasures and decorated their Zhulou CuiGe with her heart.
Juan Battista Martinez del Marso / 1660 / Collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts, Havana, Cuba
Portrait of Princess Margarita from Rita's collection
Early 17th century/Collection of the Detroit Museum of Art
Rita has a bronze statue of Hercules and the Acadian Bucks by Giovanni da Bologna
Rita's collection of Putto bronze candlesticks from 1600s Italian productions
Precious tapestries from the 16th century depict the risen Christ appearing before Mary Magdalene
From antique artifacts from the old centuries to paintings by Renaissance masters, these rich relics quickly helped her create an atmospheric art mecca in this wealthy neighborhood, making their mansion a cultural place for New York celebrities.
Impressed by Rita's intellect and vision, the famous collector Isabella Gardner asked their mutual friend Sargente inexplicably, why not try to express herself in the language of art.
Sargent replied, "She herself is art." ”
2. The Alternative "Queen" of belle epoque
In the mid-to-late 19th century, Rita, a fashion hurricane of haute couture swept from Paris to the world, and with this gust of wind, she put herself at the forefront of belle époque ladies.
In Rita's wardrobe, which can barely support the entire Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum, countless gorgeous dresses depict her ultimate pursuit of a sophisticated life.
Rita's wardrobe was the basis for the later establishment of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute in New York
From evening dresses and coats to pajamas, each one was carefully selected by her travels to Paris. Among them, Carlotte Souls Gaudín with extravagant embroidery and antique lace trims is her favorite.
At the time a dress like this was worth $9,000/The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection
Rita is one of Callot Soeurs' biggest proponents, ordering dozens of clothes at once, designed by herself and handmade by Callot Soeurs.
As a model of Belle Epoque celebrities, Rita has almost harsh requirements for dress. Whenever she comes across a satisfactory dress, she buys all the versions of it that differ slightly in material, lace, or design, just to taste the different aesthetics of that nuance.
In the 1920s, the United States produced gold woven bags/one-horned deer selection
These skirts are often paired with a black lace mantilla hat or a mink hat, paired with a delicate gold woven bag.
Whether it is a day dress, a low-cut backless evening dress or a jacket or coat, she will personally participate in the design of all the clothes.
Often made of precious satin, velvet or lace, these garments are decorated with exquisite hand-embroidery and inlaid with her favorite beaded edges and ribbons/collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
In the early Belle Époque, ladies often had to endure the oppression of corsets in pursuit of S-shaped silhouettes, and it was not until the 1910s that a dress with a looser silhouette gradually liberated ladies from the corset.
In the illustrations of the 1900s, the women's pursuit of slender waists can be seen as exaggerated
The picture shows a fashion illustration from 1913, and you can see the new changes in clothing styles
Although this unset-waisted dress was also criticized and criticized at the beginning of its existence, Rita, who has always been at the forefront of fashion, has always firmly promoted this lighter and trendy outfit.
Rita's black dress from the Metropolitan Museum's collection
In Portini's paintings, famous ladies of Rita's time can be seen wearing similar loose dresses
One-horned deer selects a 1920s platinum diamond-set natural seawater pearl Sutor necklace
A wide necklace with a length of belly and consisting of pearls and diamonds, often accompanied by a skirt without a girdle, is also known as Sutor
As for the culottes that were considered unorthodox at the time, they were regular visitors to Rita's wardrobe. With extraordinary taste, it is with this avant-garde pioneering spirit that she paints a touch of fresh and fresh bright colors in the landscape of the Belle Epoque.
Callot Soeurs Custom Culottes/Metropolitan Museum Collection
In addition to sophisticated clothing, shoes are also a big hobby of Rita. Although she had a short time to walk each day, there were at least three hundred pairs of shoes lying in her shoe cabinet, each of which was carefully crafted by pierre Jantoni, the famous designer of the time.
Jantoni in his studio/1912
Pierre Yantorny builds a child for specific clients, making a plaster cast for each foot and polishing it using lightweight hollow structures, proprietary luminous lacquer finishes and gilded hardware. The shoes he creates are often as flexible, light and unique as silk.
These shoes were often made of expensive 11th or 12th century velvet, brocade made of filigree thread and decorated with lace appliqués. Carved with exquisite craftsmanship, the shoes fit softly like stockings.
Collection of the Metropolitan Museum
From pointed feet to square heels, there are a variety of styles.
Jantoni's custom heels/Metropolitan Museum collection
To house these delicate, expensive shoes, Rita would even make the lasts from violin wood and carefully store them in a Russian leather box lined in cream velvet. Because of her such a high regard for shoes, Rita has since been named "Queen of Shoes".
Shoe last made by Jantoni for Rita/1910s/Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rita was so well known for her harsh taste that it was rumored that when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with a poorly dressed woman, she took her mistress to buy new clothes and shoes.
But in fact, Rita's pursuit of clothing is not to show off. She has said that during the dressing process, she feels like a canvas, and she will create special personal works on it. As Sargent says, she sees herself as a work of art, and every piece of clothing and every pair of shoes is just to convey a mood, or the "look" she feels at the moment.
Against the backdrop of this gorgeous beauty, Rita became synonymous with the elegance and charm of that era, and her life became the talk of the public.
However, contrary to what people expected, Rita's life is far less perfect than her appearance suggests.
3, love that has gone through ups and downs
The sweet days of marrying into the giants did not last long, and Stokes, who had gone to Rita's beauty, no longer hid his tyrannical personality after the freshness disappeared. When Rita's stubbornness hits his bad temper, the beautiful fantasies of life are all shattered.
Every time there was an argument, the husband's insults would always turn into punches and kicks to her. Physically and mentally, Rita sued for divorce in 1900, for which she received nearly $2 million in settlement.
The unhappy marriage came to an end after five years of difficult maintenance, when Rita was in full bloom and she was immediately surrounded by suitors when she returned to singlehood. In the praise and pursuit, she did not have time to stop and examine her heart, so she hurriedly threw herself into the next relationship.
Soon, at another staggered banquet, she met The Retired Officer, Major Philip Lediger.
Unlike her irritable ex-husband, Philip is courteous and personable, and in the face of that watery tenderness, Rita firmly believes that she has found a true love that can be relied on for a lifetime. In 1902, the two officially entered the palace of marriage.
After marriage, Rita continued to host or attend high-end parties, actively participate in various social activities, and still maintain the high-profile and luxurious lifestyle of the past.
Rita and Mrs. John Blair participate in the "Wake Up America" election rally / Rita on the left
However, Rita, who is keen on socializing, neglects to run the family in the process, and over the years, Philippe, who is more conservative in his heart, begins to be dissatisfied with his wife.
As the two men's philosophies of life grow more and more divergent, Rita's marriage is once again lit up with red lights. And this time, she was faced with silent cold violence.
In 1914, the seemingly inseparable couple chose to separate, and after nearly 6 years of tug-of-war, Rita finally signed a divorce agreement. The repeated setbacks in her feelings have exhausted her physically and mentally. The passing of her youth has made her feel the sorrow of half a life in vain.
Rita once lamented, "The appearance of success and the envy of the world make me turn a blind eye to the real suffering in our lives." ”
But perhaps Eros couldn't bear to see the beauty cry, and just as she was at a low ebb, a priest named Percy Stycney Grant came into her life.
The erudite Percy has the same views and enthusiasm as Rita in many social undertakings, and under his enlightenment, Rita gradually comes out of the shadow of a failed marriage and regains the vividness of the past. Later, the like-minded two also fell in love.
But who knows, just when Rita made up her mind to enter the marriage for the third time, reality once again shattered her expectations - the union of the two was opposed by the church, because Rita's two divorces were a big disrespectful act that they could not tolerate. For the sake of the lover's career and reputation, the wedding had to be shelved.
The matter had not yet been properly resolved, but Percy died of illness shortly after. After several twists and turns, it finally ended up separated from the yin and yang of the beloved. And this time, no one came to comfort Rita's sadness.
In order to numb the pain of losing her lover, Rita spent the few years therein unbridled, until she was finally in debt and forced to sell her house and all her belongings.
Falling from the paradise surrounded by people to the cold valley floor, the contrast of circumstances and the great changes in life make Rita feel disillusioned, and in the frustration, she condenses all her heartbreak and reluctance to love into a "Tragic Edifice".
In 1927, she published a novel under Mrs. Letiger's name, The Mansion of Tragedy, which was described by The New York Times as a "fascinating social sitcom."
In 1929, rita died alone at the gotham hotel at the age of 54 due to pernicious anemia. The beauty who once fascinated all sentient beings could not wait for the day when they would grow old gracefully.
Rita/Photographed by Baron Adolf de Mayer
The city is still bustling with traffic as it was yesterday, and the dances continue to open to the sound of music, and some people may remember the splendor that once belonged to Rita, but no one stopped because of her departure.
The prosperity and beauty, the blink of an eye, the elegance engraved in the painting and the sparkling era, finally became a dream.
Editor | glacier
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