The mistress of Paris The 19th-century courtesan who built an empire on a secret

Catherine Hewitt

Book - 2017

"Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne was a celebrated nineteenth-century Parisian courtesan. She was painted by Manet and inspired Emile Zola, who immortalized her in his scandalous novel Nana. Her rumored affairs with Napoleon III and the future Edward VII kept gossip columns full. But her glamorous existence hid a dark secret: she was no Comtesse. She was born into abject poverty, raised on a squalid Paris backstreet; the lowest of the low. Yet she transformed herself into an enchantress who possessed a small fortune, three mansions, fabulous carriages, and art that drew the envy of connoisseurs across France and Europe. A consummate show-woman, she ensured that her life--and even her death--remained shrouded in just enough mystery to keep... her audience hungry for more. Catherine Hewitt's biography, The Mistress of Paris, tells the forgotten story of a remarkable French woman who, though her roots were lowly, never stopped aiming high."--Provided by publisher.

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Subjects
Genres
Biographies
Published
New York : Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin's Press 2017.
Language
English
Main Author
Catherine Hewitt (author)
Edition
First U.S. edition
Physical Description
358 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), map ; 25 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-318) and index.
ISBN
9781250120663
  • Prologue
  • 1. A Child of the Revolution
  • 2. The Child Becomes a Woman
  • 3. First Love, First Appearances
  • 4. Creation
  • 5. A Courtesan Must Never Cry
  • 6. The Lioness, Her Prey and the Cost
  • 7. Names and Places
  • 8. The Union of Artists
  • 9. Words and Wit
  • 10. Valtesse and Zola's Nana
  • 11. A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words
  • 12. A Political Affair: Gambetta, Annam and Tonkin
  • 13. The Thickness of Blood
  • 14. Slander, Scandal and Sun Queens
  • 15. The Thrill of the New: the Comtesse in Monte Carlo
  • 16. The Feminine Touch
  • 17. New Beginnings: The Sale of the House
  • 18. The Final Act: Preparing a Legacy
  • Epilogue: The Legacy
  • Acknowledgements
  • Picture acknowledgements
  • Selected bibliography
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by New York Times Review

If you haven't read "Nana" - or, even more so, if you have and are hungering for a less censorious, more deeply researched and respectful biography of the 19th-century French courtesan on whom that novel by Zola is partly based - this book is for you. In it, Hewitt conducts us up the ladder from grisette to grande horizontale climbed by the self-styled "Comtesse" Valtesse de la Bigne, born Louise Delabigne, illegitimate and impoverished, in 1848. Hewitt's occasionally colorless prose is counterbalanced by her social commentary - on, for example, the pay for different levels of mid-19th-century prostitutes and the "embourgeoisement" of French theater in that era - and by her protagonist's labor-intensive irrepressibility. A gorgeous, smart, ambitious, hard-working, steely autodidact and businesswoman whose product was herself, Valtesse would be totally at home in our self-branding society. She loved, as 21st-century America does, things: "Louis XIV armchairs in cherry-colored silk, luxurious velvet-upholstered seats from the time of Philippe II," and of course her "throne," "that famous bed which cost . . . just over half a million pounds in modern currency." We are taken on exhaustive tours of her "palaces" in Paris, Ville-d'Avray and Monte Carlo, where she displayed the art she so voraciously collected. She collected men too, and women. Her consumerism, her profession, her politics - Bonapartist, anti-Dreyfusard, devoutly colonialist - and the sheer size of her wealth, make her, alas, a woman for our time.

Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [January 1, 2017]
Review by Booklist Review

Hewitt takes readers behind the scenes of the shadowy demimonde with this intimate glimpse into the life of a glamorous nineteenth-century Parisian courtesan. Born illegitimate in 1848, Louise Delabigne gradually transformed herself into the Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne as she leveraged her charm and stunning looks to escape poverty and to climb the complex social hierarchy of Parisian prostitutes. Rising from the lower ranks of grisettes to the upper echelons of grandes horizontales, she took her professional opportunities seriously, educating herself along the way and charming a wide circle of wealthy and cultured clients and admirers, including Émile Zola and Édouard Manet. Hewitt's fascinating biography reads like a novel and paints a vivid portrait of a woman who reinvented herself and carved out a successful and lucrative career in one of the only realms available to women in her time, place, and circumstances.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

Debut author Hewitt chronicles the life of Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), one of the most famous courtesans in 19th-century Paris. Born Louise Delabigne and often using the pseudonym Valtesse, the eventual countess grew up in a meager household, her mother often moonlighting as a prostitute. Disillusioned, Valtesse found her way onto the stage, where her beauty delighted far more than her performance. After catching the eye of German-born French composer Jacques Offenbach, she became his mistress and redirected her energies toward climbing the ranks of society. Valtesse became one of the most prominent courtesans of her time, serving as the influence for a novel by Emile Zola and appearing in the artwork of several painters. Hewitt has created an engaging and richly narrated biography exploring not only this figure's life but also the inner workings of Paris at the time Valtesse's star began to rise. Reading like a novel with enticing cliff-hangers, Hewitt's work marries the life of Valtesse with the fascinating history of Paris, imbuing both with vivacity. VERDICT An entertaining read, this book will likely appeal to history buffs as well as those who enjoy a well-written biography.-Stacy Shaw, Orange, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A biographer debuts with the astonishing story of Comtesse Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), who rose from poverty and prostitution to enormous wealth, influence, and controversy.Hewittwho studied French literature and art, pursuits that led her to the woman she calls Valtesse through much of the talebegins with the serendipitous discovery in 1933 of some of Valtesse's vast art collection. The author then retreats to the 1840s and tells us the compelling story of Valtesse's mother, a woman who returns much later on to threaten her daughter's hard-won status. Born as "Louise," Valtesse was fortunate with her stunning good looks (lustrous red hair her most striking feature), and although she began as a street prostitute, her looks, good fortune, and insatiable desires to read and learn transformed her quickly into a highly desirable companion for powerful men. She eventually amassed a fortune, educated herself broadly, collected priceless works of art, associated with some of the great artists of her time, including Manet and douard Detaille, lived in great opulence, and became a glittering celebrity. Hewitt's work is nonjudgmental and even, at times, drop-jawed admiring. Every new twist in Valtesse's life brings surprises. She published books that sold well, created works of art for popular shows (one attended by Buffalo Bill), dazzled the south of France, and survived some potentially damning court cases (two involving her mother). Hewitt shows us Valtesse's circumspection, as well: her great care to avoid scandal (one episode, sex on a train, threatened and then diminished) and her preparation for retirement. The author's diction is at times a little conventional and even clichd. She writes, for example, that Valtesse "had won the heart of Paris." But her intriguing portrait shines through. A thoroughly researched and clearly written account of a determined and talented woman and of an era. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.