Alice Prin

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References: Lillian Russell (http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/R/RusslL.html). Foujita said that with Kiki, they buried forever the glorious days of Montparnasse. On her passing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1922, Russell was interred in the Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. When she died, a huge crowd of artists and fans attended her funeral. She performed with a variety of opera companies including the company of the Casino Theater in New York and the company of Weber and Fields. Even during difficult times, she maintained her positive attitude saying, "All I need is an onion, a bit of bread, and a bottle of red (wine); and I will always find somebody to offer me that.". Among her most well-known roles were in Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience and The Sorcerer as well as Jacques Offenbach's The Princess of Trebizonde, The Brigands, and The Grand Duchess.

Her drawings and paintings comprised portraits and dreamy landscapes composed in a light, slightly uneven expressionist style that was very much a reflection of her own easy-going manner and boundless optimism. For years, Russell was the foremost singer of operettas in the U.S. A capable painter in her own right, a sold-out exhibition of Kiki's own paintings was held in Paris' Galerie au Sacre du Printemps in 1927. For forty years, she was the companion of businessman "Diamond Jim" Brady who showered her with extravagant gifts of diamonds and gemstones. She has a Daylily named after her: Kiki De Montparnasse. Since her first appearance at Tony Pastor's she was also the subject of a great deal fanfare in the newsmedia. Long after her time, Kiki remains the embodiment of the outspokenness, audacity, and creativity that marked this period of Montparnasse. Not only was her voice celebrated but her beauty caused quite a stir among the men and the women of the audience.

Finally, in 1996, her book was translated and published. Russell's appearance caused such a stir that she stayed on with Pastor and starred in some of his comic operas. Kiki's Memoirs remained barred in the United States as late as the 1970s when it was still held in the section for banned books in the New York Public Library. Tony Pastor, known as the father of vaudeville, was responsible for some of the biggest stars in show business. This book was published the following year in New York City by Black Manikin Press but it was banned by the United States government. In 1879, under the new guise of "Lillian Russell", Helen made her first appearance on the august stage at Tony Pastor's Theater. Ernest Hemingway and Tsuguharu Foujita provided the introduction for her 1929 memoirs. This would serve as an inauspicious beginning to a dazzling career.

She was the mistress of Man Ray, and a friend of Chaim Soutine, Jean Cocteau, Max Ernst and other artists. At the age of 18, she and her mother left for New York where Helen was offered a role in the chorus of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta H.M.S. Pinafore. She also had a role in nine different motion pictures, including Fernand Leger's famous Ballet mécanique. Little is known of her early life except that she had some musical training in Chicago. The symbol of bohemian and creative Paris, at age 28 she was declared "Queen of Montparnasse." Her music hall performances, in black hose and garters, included crowd-pleasing raunchy songs, which somehow were both uninhibited yet inoffensive. Born in Clinton, Iowa in 1861, Helen Louise Leonard would become one of the most famous and beautiful actresses of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Her partnership with Man Ray produced some of Surrealism's most significant images. Lillian Russell (Helen Louise Leonard) (December 4, 1861 - June 6, 1922) was an American actress and singer.

Alice Prin became one of the most famous artists' models ever, the most notable of which is a colection of photographs by Man Ray and the portrait of her painted by Moise Kisling titled Nu assis. At age 12 she was sent to Paris to be educated and by age 14 she was posing nude for sculptors. An illegitimate child, she was raised in abject poverty by her grandmother. Born in Chatillon-sur-Seine, Côte d'Or, Burgundy, France on October 2, 1901.

Kiki, was the stage name for Alice Ernestine Prin (1901 - 1953), a nightclub singer, actress, model, and painter. Kiki: Reine de la Montparnasse - Lou Mollgaard (In French - 1988). Kiki's Memoirs (translation by Samuel Putnam) - Kiki (1996).