John Luther Long

And he based Madama Butterfly on David Belasco's play, Madame Butterfly, a tragedy of Japan, which he had seen in London in 1900.

Belasco's play itself was also an adaptation from John Luther Long's 1898 short story, Madame Butterfly, which in turn was drawn from his sister's recollections of Japan and Pierre Loti's 1887 novel, Madame Chrysanthum.

This is j- You're, what you're describing is just how art works.

Yeah.

Madame Butterfly has a long chain of origin.

While in London in 1900, Puccini saw the one-act play Madame Butterfly, A Tragedy of Japan, written by American playwright David Belasco, which was an adaptation of John Luther Long's short story, Madame Butterfly, from 1898.

Long's story was partially inspired by an 1887 French novel by Pierlotti called Madame Chrysanthem.

Though Puccini did not speak English, Belasco's play made enough of an impression that he decided he wanted to base an opera on it.

If it is apocryphal, the persistence of this idea is probably this opera's fault.

I think it's funny that Pinkerton's full name is Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton.

That's so cartoonishly American that I would have bet you money that Pacini and Company came up with it as a joke, but it is indeed from John Luther Long's short story.

Pinkerton is a good surname for this character.