Table of contents:
Popular rumor attributed these women to incredible wealth, success and even political influence during their lifetime. Their names have remained in history, books and films are still being written about them, however, evaluating the "career" of the ladies of the half-world from the point of view of modern morality, it becomes clear that each of them was unhappy in her own way, and their stories often began with terrifying facts.
Marie Duplessis
Rosa-Alfonsina Plessis was born in 1824 in a small Norman village in the family of a bankrupt farmer who made a living by selling small goods. The father was a bitter drunkard, he brought his wife to death, and her aunt was engaged in raising the girl for some time. However, as soon as Alfonsina lost her honor, entangled with a young footman, the strict lady immediately sent the girl back to her father. According to some sources, Maren Plessis decided to take advantage of their daughter's fall and began selling her to local lovers of forbidden pleasures.Alfonsina did not endure such a life for long. Soon she left her parental home and reached Paris. There she changed her name, added the noble prefix "Du" to her surname and got a job in a milliner's workshop. The profession of a seamstress was at that time one of the most popular for young ladies who wanted to earn a living honestly, but this occupation brought little money. As a result, the pretty girl still took the path that made it possible to get more money.
At the age of 16, Marie found her first wealthy patron, the owner of a restaurant, who settled her in an apartment and began to show her out. Once in the society of noble and well-dressed people, she, oddly enough, found herself in her place, her beauty sparkled with unusual power. Marie changed lovers and gradually became one of the most famous ladies of the half-world. She died very young, at 23, from tuberculosis, leaving a memory of herself as an incredibly kind and understanding woman. Thanks to Alexander Dumas-son, this bright image found eternity under the name of the Lady with Camellias.
Carolina Otero, or Beautiful Otero
Among the admirers of this famous courtesan were kings: William II, Nicholas II, Leopold II, Alphonse XIII, Edward VII, many politicians and popular writers. However, such a brilliant fate began in a small Spanish town, where a completely degraded prostitute in 1868 gave birth to another child, like others - no one knows from whom. The girl was named Augustine, and it is clear that "family occupation" from the earliest years was for her the only way of existence. At the age of twelve, she had already fled from home, joined a group of Portuguese traveling comedians, danced in pubs, changed men constantly, and gradually became known as a dancer.
To arouse more interest, Carolina posed as a gypsy, and in this role she conquered the whole world. One of the Beautiful Otero's passions was gambling. Having lived to her old age, she existed on an allowance from the Monte Carlo casino. This is how the owners of the gambling house honored the memory of the woman who at one time left more than one million in their halls. Today this woman is called a symbol of the Belle Epoque in European history.
Cora Pearl
The childhood of the future shocking courtesan was perhaps not so terrible.She was the daughter of a poor English composer and was brought up in a monastery school. True, the fruits of such a strict upbringing turned out to be somewhat strange. Returning home, the girl did not want to lead a modest and simple life. She was attracted by the glitter of the capital, so she, like thousands of other young dreamers, left for London to become an actress. True, unlike many other girls, Emma (that was her real name), was really able to become a star.
The beginning of her "career", however, was banal - a lonely girl from the provinces in the capital quickly became a prostitute, but eventually managed to find rich patrons and left for Paris. There she even approached her old dream, performed on stage, but quickly realized that living on the money of men is easier than working in the theater. There were also many crowned heads among her admirers, but gradually she lost everything. Towards the end of her life, Cora was again forced to sell her body. Her memoirs, published in 1886, are still being reprinted.
The 19th century is considered the "golden era" of great courtesans, but a hundred years later such women appeared. Lady Pamela Churchill-Harriman was called the last and most influential courtesan of the 20th century.
Popular by topic
Because of what one year only lasted 445 days and other interesting facts about the calendar
Most of the world has been calculating time for four centuries using a calendar called the Gregorian. The year of this calendar is divided into 12 months and lasts 365 days. One additional day is added every four years. Such a year is called a leap year. This is necessary in order to remove the difference between the movement of the sun and the calendar. This concept was introduced in the late 16th century by Pope Gregory XIII as a reform of the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar is generally accepted because
How, thanks to prisoners, thousands of rare hazel dormouse received houses
This summer was an incredibly important event for the People's Endangered Species Fund (PTES). This event was the 1000th Hazel Dormouse, raised in captivity and released into the wild. All this happened in full accordance with the scheme of reintroduction of these furry cuties. The most interesting thing is that not quite ordinary people contributed to the success of this campaign. How PTES joined forces with a local prison to save a rare species from extinction, further in the review
6 monarchs who took the throne as children but made very adult decisions
The burden of power weighs upon the mature and experienced. What can we say about those who had to take on the heavy duty of ruling an entire country at a very tender age? In a word, the milk has not yet dried on his lips, but he is already on the royal throne. Someone managed to strengthen the state, someone caused irreparable harm that several subsequent generations of wise rulers could not fix. Learn about six monarchs who were destined to ascend to the throne as a child, but whose actions and decisions were made by very grown-ups
What 9 male names were not given to children in the Romanov dynasty and why
Different peoples and cultures have their own traditions and prejudices associated with the names of children. Someone translated names from foreign languages and, in accordance with the meaning, did not want to call their children them, believing that they could influence his fate. And for some, the not particularly prevalent life of people with certain names served as a negative example. The Romanov dynasty also had its own superstitions
Why the star of the film "The Adventures of Prince Florizel" did not have titles and awards: Valery Matveev
He did not act in films so often, and the roles of Valery Matveev were not at all the main ones. The audience remembered him, first of all, in the image of the cowboy Frank Scrimgeour in the film "The Adventures of Prince Florizel" by Evgeny Tatarsky. Fans of Soviet cinema will also remember the roles of the actor in "Monologue" by Ilya Averbakh, "Charlotte's Necklace" by the same Yevgeny Tatarsky and other wonderful films. Valery Matveev served for forty years in the legendary BDT, where he came at the invitation of Tovstonogov himself. But despite
