Grandes Horizontales: The Lives and Legends of Four Nineteenth-Century Courtesans

Grandes Horizontales: The Lives and Legends of Four Nineteenth-Century Courtesans by Rounding, Virginia. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781582344508.

In nineteenth-century Paris, the pampered demimonde became almost indistinguishable from the haut monde, with mythical reputations growing up around its most alluring and favored celebrities. Grandes Horizantales examines the lives of four of the eras best-known courtesans-Marie Duplessis, La Présidente, La Païva, and Cora Pearl-and the men who were their lovers, providing a provocative look into the parlors and boudoirs of the women whose lives became legends.