Theatrical Poster of a Burlesque Girl
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
Edna was born October 23, 1872 in Branford, Connecticut to William and Anna Oblenis.Edna’s father died prior to 1880 and Edna’s mother, Anna, now had five girls to support. The census showed Anna and sister Minnie were employed sewing corsets. However they were accused of doing more than sewing.
According to Rev. Ross, a neighbor, Mrs. Oblenis and her older
daughters Minnie and Helen were entertaining men. On March 8, 1880 their house was raided and
the women and three men were accused of participating in a house of “ill fame.”A
music teacher who came to the house weekly stated that she never observed
anything illicit going on.
Edna and her sisters became theatrical performers around
1890. They were known for their singing
and the skirt dance, popular with the burlesque shows. The sisters used the stage name of Laziola
(Lazeola), which became the name all the siblings eventually adopted. They would tour with various theatre companies
throughout the east and by 1892 were at the Original Vienna Buffet in Los
Angeles, California. Edna and sisters
would arrive in Phoenix around 1894.
Edna was singing at the Palace in Phoenix, while Minnie
and Annie would go to Yuma and play at The Place, which was owned by Louis
Iaeger. They would then return to
Phoenix to perform at the Palace with Edna. The sisters were described as very
popular with patrons at both establishments.
Edna and Annie even created quite a
stir in Tucson at one point when their train arrived at the same time as two political
candidates. The two men thought all the
excitement was about their arrival, but were not happy to learn everyone was
there waiting for the Laziola sisters.
The sisters embarked in many other adventures in their early years, and Edna would die under tragic circumstances in 1900.
For more information, come down and see us. We will be glad to introduce you to Edna!
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