Lola Montes

Text on screen — 'Colonial Women of Australia: Lola Montes. National Portrait Gallery, Canberra in collaboration with ABC Splash.' Shot of a portrait of Lola Montes by Joseph K. Stieler from 1845. She is dressed like a Spanish flamenco dancer.

VICTORIA, LEARNING FACILITATOR, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, CANBERRA:This glamorous painting of Lola Montez was given to her by King Ludwig of Bavaria, who was in love with her at the time — around 1845. When King Ludwig was forced to resign his throne, Lola was also forced to leave Bavaria. She was born in around 1818, and her real name was Maria Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert. She grew up in India, and later in England. When she was about to be married to a much older man against her wishes, she changed her name to Lola Montez and ran away to Spain to become a dancer. She performed in London, Berlin, Warsaw and Paris, and became very famous. It was when she travelled to Munich that she met King Ludwig, who fell for her. From Munich in Bavaria, she went to the American goldfields in California. She stayed there working as a performer for five years, after which she came to Australia to work as a showgirl and dancer in the gold rush. Many theatres and music halls were established in the goldfields of Australia. After a hard day's labour searching for gold, the men liked to watch a show, and Lola Montez was a sensational star. Her most famous dance was the Spider Dance, which she performed in Melbourne and Adelaide.

Shot of Victoria, Learning Facilitator, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra, standing in front of the glamorous 1845 portrait of Lola Montez.

VICTORIA:The dance involved Lola finding a spider in her undergarments and, shocked, she would leap up into the air. The spider would be flung onto the ground, and in a fervour she would then search for more spiders, finding more and more, revealing more and more of her petticoats and undergarments. She would then fling them around and dance with a fervour, and the spiders would be thrown out on stage. She'd hunt them down and stomp on every one to make sure that she was safe. Spellbound and in awe, the audience loved her. The gold diggers would throw gold nuggets up at the air just to have a glimpse. Whilst Lola was known for many things, it is this dance that captivated the Australian public and left a wonderful legacy on our imagination.

Text on screen — 'Images in order of appearance: Lola Montes, Joseph K. Stieler. 1845. Collection: National Portrait Gallery, Canberra. Purchased 2010.' 'Ludwig 1 of Bavaria, King of Bavaria, Joseph K. Stieler, 1825.' 'Lola Montez Caricature (Department for America), Artist/Date Unknown. Collection: New York Public Library Archives.' 'Gulgong miners, 1872, A&A Photographic Company, 1872. Collection: The Holtermann Collection, State Library of New South Wales.' 'Copyright 2014 National Portrait Gallery.'