Giuseppina Antonia "Josephine" Morlacchi Omohundro (October 8, 1836 – July 23, 1886) was an Italian American

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

, and actress. She introduced the can-can to the American stage.

Biography

Morlacchi was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in 1836 and attended dance school at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

at the age of six. She debuted on the stage in 1856 at

Teatro Carlo Felice The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the side of Piazza De Ferrari. The hall is named for King Carlo Felice, and dates fr ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

. In a short time, she became a well-known dancer, touring the continent and England. In

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, she met noted artist and manager Don Juan (John) De Pol, who persuaded her to go to America and perform in his ''DePol Parisian Ballet''. In October 1867, she made her American debut at ''Banvard's Museum'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, performing ''The Devil's Auction''. She became an immense success, and DePol took the show to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. During her rise to fame, DePol insured her legs for $100,000, after which newspapers claimed that Morlacchi was 'more valuable than

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

'. On January 6, 1868, the company played at the ''Theatre Comique'' and premiered a new type of dance, billed as "...Grand Gallop Can-Can, composed and danced by Mlles. Morlacchi, Blasina, Diani, Ricci, Baretta,... accompanied with cymbals and triangles by the coryphees and

corps de ballet In ballet, the ''corps de ballet'' (; French for "body of the ballet") is the group of dancers who are not principal dancers or soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. ...

." The new dance received an enthusiastic reception. From 1867 though 1872, Morlacchi traveled the United States dancing in various venues with ''Morlacchi Ballet Troupe'' which she formed, performing before various politicians and dignitaries, including the

Grand Duke of Russia This is a list of those members of the Russian Imperial Family who bore the title ''velikiy knjaz'' (usually translated into English as grand duke, but more accurately grand prince). This courtesy title was borne by the sons and male-line grands ...

. From then, her fame and success increased, and she played a succession of popular performances. On December 16, 1872, she was billed as a feature attraction in

Ned Buntline Edward Zane Carroll Judson Sr. (March 20, 1821 – July 16, 1886), known by his pseudonym Ned Buntline, was an American publisher, journalist, and writer. Early life and military service Judson was born on March 20, 1821, in Harpersfield, New Yo ...

's western drama, ''Scouts of the Prairie'', with

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...

and

Texas Jack Omohundro John Baker Omohundro (July 27, 1846 – June 28, 1880), also known as "Texas Jack", was an American frontier scout, actor, and cowboy. Born in rural Virginia, he served the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. He late ...

. She and Texas Jack fell in love, and were married on August 31, 1873, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rochester, N.Y. The couple settled in

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, It is one of two traditional seats of Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in 2020, it was the fifth most populous city in Massachusetts as of ...

where they purchased a house known as Suffolk Hall and a country estate in

Billerica, Massachusetts Billerica (, ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England. History In the early 1630s, a Praying Indian ...

. Morlacchi continued to perform, both with her husband in western dramas, and with her dance troupe. In the Spring of 1880, after performing in Denver, the couple visited the silver mining town of

Leadville, Colorado The City of Leadville is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Statutory city, statutory city that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only List of municipalities in Colorado, incorporated municipality in Lake County, Colorad ...

where Texas Jack fell ill and a few weeks later died of pneumonia. Shortly after Texas Jack's death Morlacchi returned to their home in Lowell and lived quietly with her sister. She never toured again. Morlacchi died of cancer in 1886, and is buried at St. Patrick Cemetery in Lowell. Logan (1954), p. 190.

References

Bibliography

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External links

* Texas Jack and the peerless Morlacchi * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morlacchi, Giuseppina 1836 births 1886 deaths 19th-century Italian ballet dancers 19th-century American musicians 19th-century American actresses American ballerinas American stage actresses Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts Italian ballerinas Italian emigrants to the United States Dancers from Milan Musicians from Lowell, Massachusetts Deaths from pneumonia in Massachusetts American Roman Catholics