178:. With Troupe Kaira, La La performed a flying trapeze and human cannon ball act. One of her signature acts involved being "pulled up to the height of the circus tent by biting down on a rope." The feat was performed at the height of 200 feet. Another signature stunt involved hoisting other people or a 200-pound cannon with her teeth. She was also known for her stunt of being hoisted up to her trapeze by her teeth. At age 21, La La became the subject of Edgar Degas's sketches, leading to his 1879 painting
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La La began touring as a child, approximately around age nine, when her mother placed her in the circus. She used multiple stage names throughout her career including Olga the
Negress, Venus of the Tropics, African Princess, and Olga the Mulatto. She was also billed as La Femme Canon, La
268:. In 2024 the National Gallery held an exhibition 'Discover Degas & Miss La La' which included earlier drawings by Degas together with photographs and posters telling the story of Miss La La.
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La La married
African-American circus contortionist Emanuel "Manuel" Woodson in 1888. The couple had three daughters who also became performers, forming a trio called The Three Keziahs.
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598:"Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas | Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando | NG4121 | National Gallery, London"
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Théberge, Pierre; Palais (Parijs), Galeries
Nationales du Grand; Canada, National Gallery of (February 22, 2004).
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224:. Since 1937, the portrait has appeared in a variety of exhibitions at a number of venues, including the
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La La was born either Anna Olga
Albertina Brown or Olga Brown in the former German/Prussian territory of
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656:"Discover Degas & Miss La La review – the death-defying trapeze artist who transfixed a master"
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332:"Famed Aerialist Miss la La Mesmerized Fans Including Edgar Degas with Her Graceful Strength"
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537:"The untold story of Europe's first black female circus star | The Voice Online"
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Brown, Marilyn R. (2007). ""Miss La La's" Teeth: Reflections on Degas and "Race"".
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125:. She was the star of Troupe Kaira, a traveling circus act, and performed with the
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368:"From Degas muse to modern aerialist: exhibition charts black women in circus"
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248:. From Oct. 2018 through February 2019, the portrait appeared in
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Mulatresse-Canon, and Black Venus. She played venues such as the
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for an exhibit about black circus performers in the series
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La La is the subject of various articles including ones in
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619:"Miss Lala at the Fernando Circus (Getty Museum)"
410:The Great Parade: Portrait of the Artist as Clown
214:Miss La La's Teeth: Reflections on Degas and Race
107:(April 21, 1858 -March 21, 1945) was an expert
296:"A Painterly Eye Capturing a High-Flying Muse"
346:"Little Known Black History Fact: Olga Kaira"
216:. Edgar Degas's portrait of her hangs in the
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314:"Degas, Miss La La, and the Cirque Fernando"
121:. She was also depicted in a poster for the
184:. La La performed up until the late 1880s.
387:"5 Forgotten Heroines Of Victorian London"
236:. In 2018, the portrait was loaned to the
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294:Rosenberg, Karen (February 21, 2013).
250:Posing Modernity: The Black Muse from
115:and was depicted in his 1879 painting
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145:to a black father and white mother.
212:as well as the 2007 scholarly work
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637:"Discover Degas & Miss La La"
181:Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando
118:Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando
623:The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles
486:Bibliothèque nationale de France
370:– via www.theguardian.com.
654:Jones, Jonathan (4 June 2024).
318:The Morgan Library & Museum
45:Anna Olga Albertina Brown
705:20th-century circus performers
680:19th-century circus performers
568:10.1080/00043079.2007.10786372
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366:Kennedy, Maev (May 7, 2018).
230:Morgan Library & Museum
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602:www.nationalgallery.org.uk
541:archive.voice-online.co.uk
516:"Miss La La Takes Flight"
478:Miss Lala et troupe Kaira
441:Folies-Bergère. Miss Lala
423:– via Google Books.
413:. Yale University Press.
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710:Black circus performers
228:in Los Angeles and the
111:who served as muse to
246:Circus! Show of Shows
641:The National Gallery
226:J. Paul Getty Museum
449:Les Arts décoratifs
348:. October 28, 2016.
262:Columbia University
188:Marriage and family
54:21 April 1858
300:The New York Times
242:Sheffield, England
238:Weston Park Museum
520:Museums Sheffield
320:. March 21, 2013.
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495:. Retrieved
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690:1858 births
497:25 February
456:25 February
129:, based in
113:Edgar Degas
674:Categories
420:0300103751
272:References
258:and Beyond
176:Manchester
170:, and the
137:Early life
131:Montmartre
105:Miss La La
88:Occupation
23:Miss La La
584:194085984
391:Londonist
109:aerialist
700:Acrobats
576:25067359
484:poster,
474:(1880).
447:poster,
437:(1880).
234:New York
206:and the
143:Szczecin
65:Szczecin
643:. 2024.
492:, Paris
490:Gallica
451:, Paris
256:Matisse
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196:Legacy
168:London
162:, the
149:Career
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580:S2CID
572:JSTOR
252:Manet
160:Paris
499:2023
458:2023
415:ISBN
80:Died
42:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
