Portraits of Olga Varona, 1930-1959
- Bib ID:
- 8820535
- Format:
- Picture
- Related Online Resources:
- Finding aid at National Library of Australia
- Description:
-
- 1930-1959
- 18 photographs: silver gelatin; 26.0 x 20.9 cm or smaller
- Summary:
-
This collection of portraits show Olga Varona at various points throughout her career as an aerialist and include photographs of her performing on the trapeze and in aerial rope acts on stage in Australia, London, England and in the United Kingdom. It also includes portraits of Olga Varona with Archie Collins, her husband and manager, and with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, whom she performed with. Some photographs are stamped with photographers reproduction stamp and refer to contemporary copies ordered by Olga Varona for publicity purposes, dated approximately 1940s-1950s.
- Biography/History:
-
Olga Varona was born Elizabeth Moore Jarvis in Central Queensland in 1913. Olga was an acclaimed aerialist who started her career in the circus before becoming a vaudeville headliner and performing on the Australian Tivoli circuit. With her husband and manager Archie Collins, Olga headed to the UK after WWII and toured for a decade, performing on stage alongside famous national and international celebrities including Laurel and Hardy, and was chosen to be part of the 1947 Command Performance at the Palladium in London. Varona performed nine times at the London Palladium, and was renowned for performing with her long red hair out and loose, and her elaborate costumes, made by herself, were a feature of the act. She was dubbed “Australia’s Queen of the Air”. She eventually returned to Australia, living in Melbourne for a short period before eventually settling back in Brisbane, Queensland.
- Notes:
- Title devised by cataloguer from acquisitions documentation.
- Source of Acquisition:
- Purchased from Ancanthe, 2023.
- Subject:
-
- Varona, Olga, 1913-2004 -- Portraits
- Aerialists -- Australia -- Portraits
- Aerialists -- England -- London -- Portraits
- Aerialists -- United Kingdom -- Portraits
- Acrobatics -- England -- London -- Portraits
- Acrobatics -- United Kingdom -- Portraits
- Circus performers -- Australia -- Portraits
- Women entertainers -- Australia -- Portraits
- London (England) -- Photographs
- Terms of Use:
- Copyright restrictions may apply.
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
If you wish to copy or order copies, contact us.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2029 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Photograph
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 1959
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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