19.00 USD
Gorgeous Reutlinger image of stage performer and notorious Belle Epoque courtesan Emilienne D'Alencon in hand-tinted veil. Born Émilie André, in 1869 Paris, she began her career when she was fifteen years old. She performed with trained pink rabbits, and as a ballerina. As a courtesan, she was very successful, being maintained in style, for a time, by King Leopold II of Belgium, among others.
She retired from the stage in 1906, but continued to live the high life, enjoying the magnificent wealth that those gifts of valuable jewels and property showered upon the famous courtesans of the period by powerful lovers afforded her. She was one of "Les Grandes Trois," the Three Great Ones, also the "Three Graces," or sometimes, "Les Grandes Horizontales." The other two of this infamous trio were Liane De Pougy, and Carolina (La Belle) Otero.
These three competed with one another for status and notoriety, and their antics were closely followed by the rich and poor alike, with the same excitement as many in the sixties and 70s viewed the activities of the Kennedy's, or today, the British Royals.
In terms of competition between "Les Grandes Trois," the website edwardianpromenade.com relates the following tale:
"The most startling display of wealth was a showdown in Maxim’s between Liane de Pougy and Caroline Otero. This restaurant was a courtesan’s domain, where no respectable woman was allowed or would even admit to acknowledging its existence, and the right entrance signaled one’s place in the hierarchy. One night, La Belle Otero entered Maxim’s in an evening gown with a plunging neckline and her entire collection of jewels. They blazed at her neck and ears, in her hair, on her bosom, her arm, hands and waist, and one or two sparkled on her ankles. The crowd was stunned, but they were even more stunned when Liane–tipped off by a friend–entered a few minutes later in a simple white evening gown. In her wake was her lady’s maid who carried a velvet cushion on which sat a jewelry box weighted with jewels. She won that round."
According to Wikipedia France, by 1931, her fortune exhausted, Mlle. D'Alencon was forced to sell off her most valued possessions, among them, a valuable collection of porcelain night lights.
She passed away shortly after WWII, in 1946, and was buried where she was born, in Paris.
A fine card with minor corner and edge wear. Please examine our high res scans for detail.
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