Antionette Sterling by Elliott & Fry

ANTIONETTE STERLING
(January 23, 1850 – January 10, 1904)
American Contralto

Took a few singing lessons at the age of eleven from Signor Abella in New York. In 1868, she came to Europe for further training ; she sang at Darlington in Handel's Messiah on 17 December, and elsewhere, taking some lessons under W. H. Cummings in London before proceeding to Germany.
There she studied under Pauline Viardot-Garcia, and finally under Manuel Garcia in London. In 1871, she returned to America and became a prominent concert singer. In February 1874, she sang in Mendelssohn's Elijah on two consecutive nights at Exeter Hall and Royal Albert Hall. Her repertory was entirely oratorio music or German Lieder.she was married at the Savoy Chapel to John MacKinlay, a Scotch American ; they settled in Stanhope Place, London.