Guglielmina 'Mina' Leonesi (c. 1890 – c. 1930) was an Italian opera singer and actress, active in the early 20th century.
Mina was born to a middle-class family in Rivoli, Italy, c.1890. Though predominantly based in Milan and appearing in productions staged at La Scala, Mina also travelled internationally with her work, including appearances in Bluff King HalBluff King Hal : a romantic opera in three acts : Stewart, H. J. (Humphrey John), 1856–1932. Archive.org. Retrieved on 2012-06-17. – a romantic opera by American composer Humphrey John Stewart, based on the life of English King Henry VIII – in 1914.National Portrait Gallery – Portrait – NPG x102972; Mina Leonesi as Princess Mary in 'Bluff King Hal'. Npg.org.uk. Retrieved on 2012-06-17.
Mina is featured as a sitter in five photographic portraits by renowned British-Italian high society photographer Alexander Bassano.National Portrait Gallery – Person – Mina Leonesi. Npg.org.uk. Retrieved on 2012-06-17. Bassano had also famously photographed Queen Victoria and Lord Kitchener, the portrait of whom created the World War I recruiting poster Your Country Needs You.Bassano, P. H. | Explore 20th Century London. 20thcenturylondon.org.uk. Retrieved on 2012-06-17.
The photographic plates featuring Mina Leonesi from the London Bassano Studios are held in the National Portrait Gallery, London. The National Portrait Gallery holds a large number of the fashion-related plates; Mina was noted for her beauty, and her operatic roles in historical costume were very fashionable for the period.Dress Culture in Late Victorian Women's Fiction, Christine Bayles Kortsch (Ashgate, 2009.)
Mina had two children, a son (Anthony) and a daughter (Antoinette).Mina Leonesi. Theatricalia. Retrieved on 2012-06-17. Mina died in Italy soon after her daughter, Antoinette, died of pneumonia.
References
External links
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery