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Helen Bertram: Topics in Chronicling America

In the late 19th century, Helen Bertram rose to fame as a prima donna on stage as well as for her escapades off stage. This guide provides access to materials related to "Helen Bertram” in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

Introduction

"Helen Bertram." December 28, 1902. The Saint Paul Globe (St. Paul, MN), Image 28. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.

Despite being the leading American prima donna of her day, Helen Bertram’s story is often left unsung. Bertram was a comic opera soprano who trained at the Cincinnati College of Music before becoming the lead singer for various opera companies, such as Abbott, Conried, and the Bostonians. Her roles in “The Gingerbread Man” and “The Prince of Pilsen” helped to further develop the unique genre of comic opera. But her off-stage life may have been even more interesting, with scandalous affairs, deceased lovers, heated rivalries, and multiple bankruptcies. Read more about it!

The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.

The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.

Timeline

November 2, 1887Rises to prominence as prima donna of the Abbott Opera Company.
March 1889Debuts as Julius in “The King’s Fool” for the Conried Opera Company.
November 9, 1893Officially exposes her affair with Edward Henley. As both are married, their spouses pursue divorce.
October 6, 1903Marries her third husband, Edward Morgan.
August, 1905Mired in debt, Bertram announces her bankruptcy before the courts.
March 10, 1906Faints upon hearing of the death of Morgan, her third husband.
1908Regains her success and is deemed “The Queen of Comic Opera.”