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French American coloratura soprano Lily Pons (1898–1976) was a pop-cultural sensation and appeared on radio programs, recorded for RCA Records, starred in Hollywood films, and had perfume, flowers, and even a town—Lilypons, Maryland—named after her. She graced the cover of Time magazine in October 1932, and then in December 1940 wearing the costume on exhibition, made for her role as Marie in a revival of Donizetti’s 𝘓𝘢 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘶 𝘙é𝘨𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 at the Metropolitan Opera. San Francisco Opera first performed 𝘓𝘢 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘶 𝘙é𝘨𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 in October 1941, again starring Pons. The world was engulfed in war when the opera was staged in San Francisco the following year, and during the final scene, Pons waved the flag of Free France and led a sing-along of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” followed by the “Star Spangled Banner” as the French flag was dipped in tribute. Learn more about San Francisco Opera’s history in our exhibition “San Francisco Opera: A Centennial Celebration” on display, post-security, in Harvey Milk Terminal 1. https://bit.ly/SFOperaCentennial
This image was posted on March 14, 2023.