Adelheid Luise "Adele" Spitzeder, also known by her stage name Adele Vio, was a German actress, folk singer, and con artist. Initially a promising young actress, Spitzeder became a well-known private banker in 19th-century Munich when her theatrical success dwindled.
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Photos 7
Spitzeder as a young actress (c. 1852)
Sketch of Spitzeder in the 15 March 1873 issue of Harper's Weekly
Caricature of Spitzeder opening one of her soup kitchens, from the Münchner Neueste Nachrichten
Adele Spitzeder in front of the Assizes. Original drawing by Peter Krämer, 1873.
Adele Spitzeder's grave at Munich's Old Southern Cemetery
Josefine Gallmeyer, Spitzeder's first companionActors born in the 1830s 6
About this person
Adelheid Luise "Adele" Spitzeder, also known by her stage name Adele Vio, was a German actress, folk singer, and con artist. Initially a promising young actress, Spitzeder became a well-known private banker in 19th-century Munich when her theatrical success dwindled. Running what was possibly the first recorded Ponzi scheme, she offered large returns on investments by continually using the money of new investors to pay back the previous ones. At the height of her success, contemporary sources considered her the wealthiest woman in Bavaria.
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