Pons, Lily, 1898-1976

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Alice Joséphine Pons (April 12, 1898–February 13, 1976), known professionally as Lily Pons, was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had an active career from the late 1920s through the early 1970s. As an opera singer, she specialized in the coloratura soprano repertoire and was particularly associated with the title roles in Lakmé and Lucia di Lammermoor. In addition to appearing as a guest artist with many opera houses internationally, Pons enjoyed a long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, where she performed nearly 300 times between 1931 and 1960.

She also had a successful and lucrative career as a concert singer, which continued until her retirement from performance in 1973. From 1935 to 1937, she made three musical films for RKO Pictures. She also made numerous appearances on radio and on television, performing on variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, and The Dave Garroway Show. In 1955, she topped the bill for the first broadcast of what became an iconic television series, Sunday Night at the London Palladium. She made dozens of records, recording both classical and popular music. She was awarded the Croix de Lorraine and the Légion d'honneur by the government of France.

Pons was also adept at making herself into a marketable cultural icon. Her opinions on fashion and home decorating were frequently reported in women's magazines, and she appeared as the face for Lockheed airplanes, Knox gelatin, and Libby's tomato juice advertisements. A town in Maryland named itself after her, and thereafter the singer contrived to have all her Christmas cards posted from Lilypons, Maryland.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Miscellaneous conducting papers, [ca. 1940-1980]. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Greenway, Lauder. Opera and recital collection [sound recording], 1901-1972. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn E. Robert Schmitz Papers, 1909-1991 (inclusive) Irving S. Gilmore Music Library
referencedIn The Virgil Thomson Papers Yale University, Music Library
referencedIn Robert Benney research materials, 1926-1978 The New York Public Library. Billy Rose Theatre Division.
creatorOf Cooper, Betty Miller,. Betty Miller Cooper photograph collection, [1932-1986]. Museum of Performance & Design
referencedIn Nicolas Slonimsky Collection, 1873-1997, (bulk 1920-1990) Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf Pons, Lily, 1898-1976. Autograph, 1932 May 3. Dartmouth College Library
creatorOf Pons, Lily, 1898-1976. Lily Pons collection, 1944-1976. Texas Woman's University Library, Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library
creatorOf Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993. The Bell Telephone Hour collection of sound recordings [sound recording], 1940-1968. New York Public Library System, NYPL
referencedIn Jan Peerce collection of sound recordings, 1932-1983 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
referencedIn The Bell Telephone Hour collection of sound recordings [sound recording], 1940-1968 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
referencedIn The Virgil Thomson Papers, 1804-1990 (inclusive) Irving S. Gilmore Music Library
referencedIn Papers of Robert Woods Bliss and Mildred Barnes Bliss, ca. 1860-1969 (inclusive) Harvard University Archives.
referencedIn Amphion Club collection, 1893-1963 San Diego History Center Document Collection
referencedIn Autograph collection. Texas Woman's University Library, Mary Evelyn Blagg-Huey Library
referencedIn Geraldine Farrar Collection, 1895-1943, (bulk 1898-1939) Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf Mildred Moore Collection National Museum of American History (U.S.). Archives Center
referencedIn Scrapbook on opera and theater, 1938-1940. Museum of Performance & Design
creatorOf Cary, Lowell Vernon, 1936-2006,. Bud Cary San Francisco opera collection. California state library
creatorOf Stokowski, Leopold, 1882-1977. Leopold Stokowski papers, 1916-1994. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Morgan, Rufus, 1918-2001. Letter, 1945 June 5 (China) to Guy Lipscomb. University of South Carolina, System Library Service, University Libraries
referencedIn The Radio Entertainers and Announcers Collection, 1937-1945 (Bulk 1942-1943) New-York Historical Society
referencedIn Holley, Lawrence, 1924-. Oral history interview with Lawrence Holley, 1999. Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center
referencedIn Ellis, Marie M. Hardee, ca. 1869-1950. Marie M. Hardee Ellis collection, 1841-1881, 1909-1941, n.d. Georgia Historical Society
referencedIn De Luca, Gaetano. Scrapbooks, 1907-1936. Tennessee State Library & Archives, TSLA
referencedIn Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967. Geraldine Farrar collection, 1895-1943 (bulk 1898-1939). Library of Congress
referencedIn Opera Air Check Recordings collection, 1937-1956 University of California, Santa Barbara. Davidson Library. Department of Special Collections.
creatorOf MS Mus. 1174. Eugene Goossens Collection. Vol. iv. Labunski–Procopé; 1932-1962, n.d.ff. 245. 345 x 216mm.includes:f. 1 Sir Aynsley Eugene Goossens, conductor and composer: Adele Franklin, pianist and piano teacher: Letter to Sir Aynsley Eugene G..., 1932-1962 British Library
referencedIn Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951. Serge Koussevitzky Archive, 1920-1976 (bulk: 1924-1951) Library of Congress. Music Division
creatorOf Metropolitan Opera presentations in honor of Lily Pons's 25th anniversary gala Houghton Library
referencedIn Hope, Constance, 1908-1977. Constance Hope papers, 1931-1975. Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
creatorOf Pons, Lily, 1898-1976. Correspondence with Marian Anderson, 1954. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn The Railroad hour, radio program [sound recording], 1948-1954 The New York Public Library. Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound.
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Molly Saltman "Art and Artists" interviews Archives of American Art

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Relation Name
associatedWith Amphion Club. corporateBody
associatedWith Benney, Robert, 1904-2001 person
correspondedWith Bliss, Robert Woods, 1875-1962 person
associatedWith Cary, Lowell Vernon, 1936-2006, person
associatedWith Cooper, Betty Miller, person
associatedWith Dartmouth College Concert Series 1932 May 3) corporateBody
associatedWith De Luca, Gaetano. person
associatedWith Ellis, Marie M. Hardee, ca. 1869-1950. person
associatedWith E. Robert Schmitz person
correspondedWith Farrar, Geraldine, 1882-1967. person
associatedWith Greenway, Lauder. person
associatedWith Holley, Lawrence, 1924- person
associatedWith Hope, Constance, 1908-1977. person
associatedWith Kostelanetz, Andre, 1901-1980. person
correspondedWith Koussevitzky, Serge, 1874-1951 person
associatedWith Metropolitan Opera (New York, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Morgan, Rufus, 1918-2001. person
associatedWith Peerce, Jan, 1904-1984 person
associatedWith Railroad Hour Radio Program corporateBody
associatedWith Saltman, Molly, 1915- person
associatedWith Slonimsky, Nicolas, 1894-1995 person
associatedWith Thomson, Virgil, 1896- person
associatedWith Thomson, Virgil, 1896-1989. person
associatedWith University of California, Santa Barbara. Archive of Recorded Vocal Music corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Sopranos (Singers)
Women
Women in opera
Occupation
Opera singers
Performer
Vocalists
Activity

Person

Birth 1898-04-12

Death 1976-02-13

Americans

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