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Animal
House Folly
Farm Blog
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It was a time of elegance and fun, the Gay Nineties, the Belle Époque. Toulouse Lautrec immortalised the nightlife of the time; the Moulin Rouge and the Follies Bergere filled with the beautiful people, rich and famous men accompanied by their glittering courtesans. Parisian society was perhaps slightly more tolerant of the ladies who charmed their way to the top. Unlike the rigid attitudes of England or the puritanical disapproval of the United States the French had a more cosmopolitan and urban attitude to ladies who were intent on making a name for themselves. These French courtesans were known as the "grandes cocottes" the supermodels of their day who attached themselves to wealthy men who would help make their fortunes. Far from inspiring envy and disapproval in the general public these ladies were loved for their great beauty and charm and, more often than not, their wit and humour. And so it was in this atmosphere of joie de vivre that Emilienne d'Alençon became part of le Grand Trois- a trio of famous courtesans including Liane de Pougy and La Belle Otero. As a young woman she had studied acting at the Conservatoire for a year before developing an act at the Cirque d'Eté which she later reprised at the Folies Bergere to great acclaim. Knowing as all fashionable women do that accessorising is everything she dressed completely in pink- frothy taffeta with lace trimming to be exact (the writer Jean Lorrain once described her as "raspberry ice"). To complete the effect she had a collection of rabbits that she died a particularly shocking shade of pink, topped off with ruffles. History doesn't record what she actually did with the rabbits but they certainly caused a sensation when they took the stage at the circus. Perhaps her act had a double meaning since rabbits are well known for their reproductive abilities and they were eager to please their mistress (perhaps alluding to the power courtesans held over their conquests). Certainly Emilienne must have possessed this capability to a great degree as she figured King Leopold II of Belgium amongst her lovers. Whatever else she is still remembered for her charm and talents as well as her remarkable pink rabbits. ŠJen Longshaw 2001-2007 Please do not copy in any manner, print or electronic, without permission from the author. Subscribe to a FREE Newsletter. CELEBRITY PETS |
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