Clarita Vidal (20 January 1883 – 17 June 1919) was an actress in

Edwardian musical comedies Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...

, later known for her wartime work in Italy as Countess Chiquita Mazzuchi.

Early life

Vidal's origins were unclear, even to herself. "I really don't know what my nationality is," she confessed to a reporter in 1901."Recruiting the Ranks of the Famous Florodora Sextette"
''San Francisco Examiner'' (December 29, 1901): 28. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

She said she was born in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the daughter of a Spanish ambassador and an Englishwoman.United States Congress, Senate Committee on Military Affairs, ''Regulating Collection of Money: Hearings Before the Committee on Military Affairs'' (U.S. Government Printing Office 1919): 23–24. Elsewhere she was described as a native of the "Sunny South", raised in Spanish diplomatic circles in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

, possibly as Chiquita Saavedra de Cervantes."To be Married To-Morrow"
''Sketch'' (June 30, 1909): 389.

Career

Vidal was a

Florodora ''Florodora'' is an Edwardian musical comedy. After its long run in London, it became one of the first successful Broadway theatre, Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the mus ...

girl, and counted among the "beauties" of the stage. Her Broadway appearances included roles in ''The Silver Slipper'' (1902–1903) and ''Cynthia'' (1903). In London, she was seen in ''The New Regime'' (1903), ''

The School Girl ''The School Girl'' is an Edwardian musical comedy, in two acts, composed by Leslie Stuart (with additional songs by Paul Rubens (composer), Paul Rubens) with a book by Henry Hamilton (playwright), Henry Hamilton and Paul M. Potter, and lyrics b ...

'' (1903), and ''His Highness, My Husband'' (1904). "All the beauties of the day were in ''The School Girl''," recalled actress

Billie Burke Mary William Ethelbert Appleton "Billie" Burke (August 7, 1884 – May 14, 1970) was an American actress who was famous on Broadway and radio, and in silent and sound films. She is best known to modern audiences as Glinda the Good Witch of t ...

. "I remember Clarita Vidal, famous and smick-smack, who posed as if she were made of wax, with just one expression of sheer beauty." ChickMazzuchi1917

She married in 1909 and left the stage, but reappeared in the news by late 1915 as "Mme. Daisy Mazzuchi" or "Countess Chiquita 'Chick' Mazzuchi", working as a nurse at

Latisana Latisana (, locally ) is a town and (municipality) in the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity of Udine in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy, on the Tagliamento river. History The city was probably a Roman ...

, or an ambulance driver, or both, during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. In 1917 she was a speaker at war relief fundraisers in New York, telling of wounds she received (including a bullet) in her work in Italy. Her use of the title "Countess" was criticized by the Italian consul in Chicago, and her speeches were found to contain "grossly exaggerated" claims of her nursing experiences in the war zone. She agreed to stop speaking or collecting money for war relief when New York district attorney

Edward Swann Edward Swann (March 10, 1862 – September 19, 1945) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from New York. From November 4, 1902, to March 3, 1903, he served part of one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Life He was born on M ...

inquired about her work.

Personal life

She married her first husband, an Englishman called Lord Seymour,"Italian Countess from War Zone to Make Talk Here"
''Indianapolis Star'' (November 4, 1917): 61. via

when she was sixteen; he was killed on their honeymoon in South Africa. She married E. G. Mazzuchi in 1909. She had a daughter named Rita. She divorced her second husband before 1918.

References

External links

*
A 1904 postcard portrait of Clarita Vidal
in the collection of the

National Portrait Gallery (UK) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

.
A 1918 news photo of "Countess Mazzuchi"
raising money for the

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

, in the collection of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

.
The 1915 Italian passport of "Chick Mazzuchi"
in nurse's uniform; in the collection of the Library of Congress.
"Chick Mazzuchi driving an ambulance in France"
a photograph in the collection of the Library of Congress. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal, Clarita 1883 births 1919 deaths Spanish actresses American women in World War I 20th-century American actresses Spanish emigrants to the United States