Belva Gaertner, the inspiration for the character of Velma Kelly in Chicago
La belva col mitra | Belva Gaertner | ''Lehnin Abbey Ruins'': Eduard Gaertner | Belva, West Virginia | Belva Ann Lockwood | "Bauakademie", Painting by Eduard Gaertner |
The playwright, reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins, was inspired by the real-life 1924 murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner (for separate crimes), which she covered for the Chicago Tribune.