1843 – 1921 A.D.
Christine Nilsson, a Swedish singer, daughter of a farmer. From an early date she showed great aptitude for music, and her voice proved the means of her introduction to Baroness Lenhusen, who enabled her to study in Stockholm and Paris.
She made her début in 1864 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, as Violetta in La Traviata, and three years later she appeared in London.
For about twenty years, during which she made two visits to the United States, Madame Nilsson was one of the most distinguished singers. Her voice was of moderate power, great sweetnes [sic], brilliancy, and evenness in all the registers, while her style was especially suited to the more pathetic parts of opera such as Elsa, Margaret, and Mignon.
In 1887 Mme. Nilsson married Count Casa di Miranda, and the following year, after a series of farewell concerts, she definitely retired.
Reference: Famous Women; An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women By Joseph Adelman. Copyright, 1926 by Ellis M. Lonow Company.