Caruso, Enrico. (1873-1921)
Rare Card from the Monkey House Scandal
A rare and amusing postcard printed with a joke about the 1906 scandal surrounding the great tenor. Printed on the cover is the question "Where did Caruso touch the lady?"; a window in the cover opens to show a monkey in a cage with the punchline, "In the monkey house." Overall toning; two slight splits to the fold and a small tear at the corner of the window flap; otherwise in very good condition overall. 3.25 x 5.5 inches (8.5 x 14.3 cm).In November of 1906, Caruso had been charged with an indecent act allegedly committed in the monkey house of New York's Central Park Zoo, where he was accused of pinching the bottom of a married woman. Caruso claimed a monkey did the bottom-pinching, but he was found guilty as charged and fined 10 dollars. The so-called Monkey House Incident, with the complicated court case that followed, caused a huge scandal, with particular outrage among New York's high-society opera-goers. (14343)
Ephemera Opera