Hilda Clark (soprano)

Hilda Kathryn Clark (December 16, 1872 – May 5, 1932) was an American soprano, operetta actress, and model. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, Clark was educated in Boston, where she began her career as a classical concert soprano in 1890. She then moved to New York City, where she initially continued her concert career and worked as a church singer. In 1895 she had her breakthrough when she was cast in the title role of the Broadway production of Willard Spenser's operetta The Princess Bonnie.

In 1896, Clark became a prima donna with the Bostonians, performing periodically in light operas into the early 20th century. She also worked in operettas produced by Klaw and Erlanger, including a return to Broadway in 1897–1898 as Lady Constance Sinclair in Reginald De Koven's hit operetta The Highwayman. In 1901, a knee injury led her to leave the stage; she intended to return, but her subsequent engagement in 1902 and marriage in 1903 to the millionaire Frederick Stanton Flower led to her permanent retirement.

Clark worked as a model for Elmo Massengale's advertising firm from the second half of the 1890s until 1904. As part of her work for Massengale she appeared in advertisements and on merchandise for Coca-Cola and was credited in 2015 by a representative of the company as the "first Coke ambassador in a print ad." She was the basis for the character depicted in the early-20th-century Coca-Cola advertisement Drink Coca-Cola 5¢. In addition to appearing in print ads, her image was used on Coca-Cola trays and on several "Hilda Clark calendars." The items featuring her image on Coca-Cola products have become valued by antique collectors.