M.J. Rose

Let us distract ourselves with some old school decadence…

From The Vintage News,

Meet Cora Pearl- The decadent 19th-century French Courtesan once had waiters carry her naked on a silver plate

“Cora Pearl was a 19th-century courtesan of the French demimonde who enjoyed her greatest celebrity during the period of the Second French Empire. Working as a street prostitute, she made a connection with a procurer, a “Monsieur Roubisse,” who set her up in more suitable quarters, taught her the business rudiments of her new trade and tutored her in refining and broadening her repertoire of professional skills. After six years, she despaired of ever freeing herself from his all-encompassing influence. However, fate stepped in, the procurer died of a heart attack, liberating her.

Her first lover of distinction was the multi-titled, twenty-five-year-old Victor Masséna, third Duke du Rivoli, and later fifth Prince of Essling. He set her up in opulence, showering her with money, jewels, servants and a private chef. He provided her with funds for gambling when she visited the casinos and racecourse in the fashionable resort of Baden, Germany. He bought her the first horse she ever owned, and she became an accomplished equestrienne; it was said “she rode like an Amazon” and “was kinder to her horses than her lovers.” Her liaison with Masséna lasted five years. While cultivating Masséna, she was simultaneously sharing her favors with Prince Achille Murat, a man much older than Masséna….”

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