Eliza Gilbert was the epitome of what used to called an "adventuress", though nowadays the verdict might simply be that she lived life down to the coffee-grounds in the cup, or even down to to the tablecloth. Contrary to what is usually written and believed, she was not born in Limerick but near Sligo, though she was genuinely a figlia del regimiento. Her career as a professional dancer was something of a farce, but her conquest of the elderly Ludwig of Bavaria was historical fact, and so was her ignominious flight from a bigamy prosecution. Lola's relatively early death in America, then on the verge of civil war, ended a career which started off colourfully in a number of directions at once, but in practice never got much beyond the level of scandalous publicity.