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18.00 USD
A very nice portrait by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris. Published by SIP (Societe Industrielle de Photographie), this card is typical of many produced at the turn of the century. With its undivided back which was reserved for the address, any messages were, by strict regulation, relegated to the image side of the card. We can see here, how the publishers hired artists to design an Art Nouveau style frame surrounding the photographic subject, leaving space within the design, or as in this case, around it, for brief messages.
Liane De Pougy (pronounced poo-jee, with that soft j sound we don't really have in English), was born Anne Marie Chassaigne in 1869. Her father was a relatively low ranking military officer, and Anne Marie was raised in a convent.
At the age of 16, finding herself pregnant, she ran off with her lover, a naval officer named Armand Pourpe. Together they had a son, named Marc, who grew up to become a flier in WWI. He was killed in 1914.
Anne's marriage to Armande was an unhappy one. It was said she bore the scars of beatings given her by her husband, her entire life. Early on, when Armand was billeted away from home, he returned home unexpectedly, and discovering her in bed with a lover, Armand, in a murderous rage, shot her with his service revolver, wounding her in the wrist.
Deciding finally to leave her husband, Anne sold her rosewood piano, a much prized possession, and ran off to Paris, leaving both Armand and her son Marc behind.
In Paris, she educated herself in the arts, taught piano and English, and later worked as a chorus girl at the Folies Bergeres, and as a prostitute, learning this trade from the notorious Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne. It is believed that at this time she also became a heavy user of both opium and cocaine.
Anne Marie took the name Pougy from a Count who was one of her many lovers. Her career as an actress flourished, though on one occasion in an early lesson from Mme. Sarah Bernhardt she was told that while on stage it would be best if she kept her "pretty mouth shut." Nevertheless, she was an extremely popular performer.
She was audacious in her pursuit of men who were wealthy and powerful, once writing to the Prince of Wales, inviting him to attend her performance. He did.
She did not limit her relationships to men only, but had affairs with women also, one of whom was the novelist Natalie Clifford Barney, with whom she apparently maintained a deep and enduring friendship.
With fame, came gifts of jewels, property, and all manner of wealth. She became known as a great courtesan, one of "Les Grandes Trois," or The Three Great Ones, referring to Liane De Pougy, Caroline Otero, and Emilienne D'Alencon. Another affectionate term awarded these ladies by an admiring public was "Les Grandes Horizontals." Oh my! :)
In 1914, following her son's death, Liane De Pougy gradually embraced religion. In 1920, she married the Romanian prince, Georges Ghika, and though they were later separated, they were never divorced, so it was as Princess Ghika that she joined the Order of Saint Dominic, and returning to her origins, became Sister Anne Mary, involving herself with the Asylum of Saint Agnes, an institution devoted to the care of children with birth defects.
She died in 1950, in Lausanne Switzerland.
As we so often do, we thank Wikipedia for most of our biographical information.
A fine card in wonderful condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!
