Alice Nielsen: Heartland Diva February 13, 2007

Alice Nielsen had an illustrious career in musical theater and on the operatic stage. She was one of the first and most popular celebrities to emerge on Broadway in New York. She left this lucrative accomplishment to study opera proper, and achieved a success in the field that may have since been equaled but has never been surpassed. She was close friends with the star performers and designers of the age, and built a rich and important personal collection of costumes, properties and memorabilia documenting her professional accomplishments and friendships. Alice Nielsen gave these materials to the Kansas City Museum Association at Corinthian Hall shortly after it opened, and very shortly before her own death in 1943.