Mary Lencret a well-known Demi-mondaine walking her Griffon in...
Mary Lencret a well-known Demi-mondaine walking her Griffon in Paris c. 1906
"Mary Lencret, a well-known Demi-mondaine who I found particularly seductive*
by J.H.Lartigue (aged 12 at the time)
Demi-Mondaine was a term used to describe a woman that was supported by a wealthy lover.
Women called demimondaine
Externally, the defining aspects of the demimonde were an extravagant lifestyle of fine food and clothes, easily surpassing that of most other wealthy women of their day, because of the steady income they made in cash and gifts from their various lovers. Internally, their lifestyle was an eclectic mixture of sharp business acumen, social skills, and hedonism. The smart demimondaine, like the fictional Gigi's grandmother, would invest her wealth for the day when her beauty would fade. Others ended up penniless and starving when age finally took its toll on their beauty, unless they managed to marry one of their lovers.
The most famous real-life demimondaine was arguably Cora Pearl. During her life, she was the acknowledged queen of the Paris courtesans. Her lovers, all wealthy noblemen, she called her ‘chain of gold’ - and included such notables as the Duc de Rivoli and even (she claimed) Prince Napoleon. Cora was so successful that she literally made and spent millions of francs during her life. But she was not a simple hedonist - during the Siege of Paris (1870–1871), she turned her mansion into ahospital for wounded soldiers. Cora’s memoirs were discovered in 1982 in the hands of a German collector, and released by Granada Publishing Ltd in 1983, under the title The Memoirs of Cora Pearl: The Erotic Reminiscences of a Flamboyant 19th Century Courtesan. Her memoirs are, as the title declares, erotic reminiscences where she discusses in the most graphic detail the sexual prowess and tastes of her lovers, both famous and humble. Possibly the most titillating (and telling) scene describes her presentation at dinner, naked and decked in cream, as a final dish.
I found this picture thanks to one of my favorite tumblr blogs :
http://turnofthecentury.tumblr.com
I was able to find a much clearer version on the Internets, so instead of re-blogging I am shouting out!
Mary Lencret, a well-known Demi-mondaine who I found particularly seductive, c.1906
by J.H.Lartigue (aged 12 at the time)
via WestLicht
