Bidspirit auction | This medal's obverse bears portrait

This medal's obverse bears portrait of Modjeska wearing wide-brimmed hat; Krakow coat of arms in laurel wreath at bottom. Around, HELENA MODJESKA THE - FIRST LADY OF THE THEATER; signed over shoulder at right, LS KAWECKI The reverse bears view of house before mountains, framed by trees. Above, PIONEER ACTRESS OF TWO CONTINENTS / BORN IN KRAKOW, / POLAND, OCT. 12 1840 - DIED AT BALBOA, CAL · / IFORNIA, APR. 8, 1909; below, ARDEN · MODJESKA'S HOME IN SANTIAGO CANYON The edge is marked P.A.H.A - © 1990 MEDALLIC ART CO. - DANBURY, CT. - BRONZEHelena Modjeska was born in Krakow, Poland on October 12, 1840. While her mother's identity is clear, her father's identity is still debated. Modjeska is actually the anglicized version of her first stage name, Modrzejewska, which is the female version of Modrzejewski, the name of the man she considered to be her first husband. As it turned out, their marriage was invalid as he had not legally divorced his first wife when they wed. She quickly became famous and was the undisputed diva of Polish theater in the late 1860's and 1870's. In 1876, for reasons both personal and political, she and her husband decided to emigrate to the U.S. She quickly reestablished her career, first performing in the California Theatre in San Francisco in 1877. After three years spent abroad, mainly in London, she returned to the stage in America in 1882. She was banned from Poland by the Tsar after she spoke at the Chicago World's Fair about the situation of Polish women in the Russian and Prussian-occupied parts of Poland. She finally retired from acting in 1905 and died four years later from Bright's disease. She is buried in her home city of Krakow, Poland. The circular medal measures 70mm in diameter. It was issued by the Polish American Heritage Association and struck in bronze by the Medallic Art Company of Danbury, Connecticut.