Isn’t It Romantic?

Ursula Cheshire

Ursula Cheshire as a young woman

Penning her travelogue in Rome, Ursula’s final thought for her sorority sisters was that she was “beginning to realize what riches and splendor the old world holds for us!”

It turns out the “old world” held more for Ursula than magnificent landscapes and splendorous sights, as I will share with you over the next couple of posts.

We know that Ursula spent the summer of 1924 with several other young women studying “the…arts of singing and of living,” under the tutelage of famous opera singer Emma Calvé. They studied in the countryside of southern France at Mme. Calvé’s castle and in a villa by the sea. They took an excursion through Spain on the way to the French Riviera, and explored the highlights of Italy, including the Italian Riviera, Genoa, Pisa and, finally, Rome.

I am not sure when or where Ursula’s study program ended—perhaps in Rome, or back at Mme. Calvé’s Château Cabrières. But, according to a story in the Oakland Tribune, “When the course was concluded, the prima donna urged Miss Cheshire to continue her studies after the other students had departed.”

Sidney Lanier Bartlett

Sidney Lanier Bartlett at age 18 (detail of passport photo). Hailing from Los Angeles, he was nearly 20 when he and Ursula met in Florence.

Alas, it was not to be. For, in February 1925 in Florence, Italy, Ursula met a handsome young man named Sidney Lanier Bartlett—and a whirlwind romance ensued. Needless to say, Ursula’s mind was not on her studies!

The Oakland Tribune tells us in June 1925:

“Here romance interrupted the plans of a career. Miss Cheshire met Bartlett in Florence, Italy last February. When she returned to Rome, the University of Paris art student followed. A week later they were engaged.”

How romantic for Ursula to have found not just wondrous sights, but also love in the “old world”!