Cora Pearl - 19th century courtesan who was first served naked on a silver platter

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the 1860s, free morals existed in Paris, the capital of love. "Fashion" on courtesans introduced by Napoleon III. The kept women were not ashamed of their position, moreover, they used it with pleasure. Cora Pearl became one of the most memorable women of that time. The most famous men of high society visited her feet, and the courtesan herself shocked the audience with her extravagance.

The rich sought the favor of the courtesans, showering them with jewelry, and those, without hesitation, shone in their society. The same life was thirsty for the Englishwoman Emma Crouch, daughter of the composer and teacher Frederick Crouch. Returning from a monastery school in France, the girl did not want to put up with a boring life, and after spending a short time as a prostitute, she found herself a rich patron (the owner of a variety show). This relationship lasted 6 years, until, fortunately for the courtesan, her patron died of a heart attack. Then Emma Crouch changed her name to Cora Pearl (Cora pearl), which meant "incomparable pearl", and went to conquer Paris.

Cora Pearl's first lover was the 25-year-old grandson of the French Marshal Victor Massin. He literally showered the girl with diamonds, bought her mansions, gave money to the casino. Once Victor gave Kore an expensive horse, from which the courtesan's passion for horses began. Cora bought at least a dozen horses every year. Many said that she treats them more tenderly than her lovers.

Each image of the courtesan was aimed at surprising the audience. Cora loved to experiment with the color of her hair, used false eyelashes, cosmetics with particles of mother-of-pearl to give her face a shimmer. Cora Pearl's neck was adorned with a gold chain with two medallions depicting 12 coats of arms of noble families, whose members fell victim to a beautiful courtesan.

In 1864, Cora Pearl rented a luxurious castle in the Loiret, where she realized her most extravagant ideas, entertaining guests. Once a courtesan informed the guests that they would be served meat that they would not be able to taste. After a while, naked Bark, sprinkled only with parsley, was brought into the dining room on a silver platter.

Like every wealthy lady, Cora had a passion for diamonds. In 1867, the woman decided to try herself on the stage and performed the role of Cupid in Offenbach's opera Orpheus in Hell. Her shoes were completely covered with diamonds. At the end of her part, Cora raised her legs so high that the audience even saw the soles of her shoes, strewn with jewels.

Cora Pearl's popularity began to wane by the late 1870s. When one of her countless famous lovers tried to commit suicide, the public, fed up with Cora's outrageousness, called her a "vicious girl." The authorities of Paris sent all their forces to ruin the courtesan and force her to leave the country. After a while, Cora Pearl returned to the capital again, but now she took a much more modest fee for her services. The brilliant courtesan died in poverty from intestinal cancer in 1886.

At the end of Cora Pearl's life, a mention of her appeared in one of the Parisian newspapers: “Cora Pearl fascinated a whole generation of men. Today this once brilliant courtesan is poor, but she has not lost her presence of mind. Over the past 15 years, literally every famous person has spent at least some time with Cora."

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