Lillian Nordica

Lillian Nordica: The first woman from the US to become an international opera Celebrity.  Born Lillian Norton in 1857 in Maine, she was the first American woman to sing at Bayreuth, and was quite acclaimed for her talent as a dramatic soprano.  Nordica died tragically in a shipwreck, after wiring the captain to wait for her, as she was running late.

Attached is a recording - most of her recordings, unfortunately but unsurprisingly, are of the same quality - Over a century of decay will do that.

P.S. Around this time was the increase in product advertisements and endorsements: Nordica was one of the first to endorse Coca-Cola, as seen here.