French courtesan, the best-dressed woman in Paris, a trend-setter, a celebrity.
Marie was a peasant girl from Normandy, the daughter of a man who was ill-natured, vicious, hard and debauched. Her mother had left him, abandoning her two daughters. Her grandmother had been a beggar and prostitute. At 14 Marie turned up in Paris, starving, dirty and in rags. She started to work as a ‘’grisette’’ (dressmaking, sewing, embroidery, braiding). She soon found a restaurant-keeper who set her up in a little flat. Her beauty quickly caught the eye of a rich young nobleman – the Comte de Guiche, then aged 20 – and from then on she was launched on her career.
Marie was kept in luxury by a number of rich lovers, mostly members of the newly-founded Jockey Club, the lions and dandies of Parisian society. Her substantial bills were paid by Count Gustav Stackelberg, a retired Russian diplomat, who was then 80-years-old. She had a natural refinement, distinction and good taste, both in appearance and behavior. When she arrived in Paris she could only sign her name but she soon learned to write correctly, to ride, to dance, and play the piano, to behave like a great lady.
Her library was quite extensive. It consisted mainly of the romantics – but also included Molière, Cervantes and other literary names. Above all, Marie learned to talk well, and this was perhaps her principal charm – men enjoyed her company and her wit.
About a year before her death, she went to London with one of her protectors of long standing, the Vicomte Edouard de Perrégaux. They were married in Kensington Register Office in February 1846, and then returned to France. Both seem to have regretted this marriage, which was probably not legal in France. They never lived together as husband and wife, and Marie did not use her husband’s name, although she did sometimes use his title and coat of arms. She died of consumption on 2/03/1847, Paris.
The classic novel ‘’La Dame aux Camélias’’ by Alexandre Dumas (son) is based on his love affair with Marie Duplessis and Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘’La Traviata’’ was based on Dumas’ novel.
Link to Wikipedia biography