Paris Lesbos Podcast

Caroline Otero was renowned for dancing and seducing kings as one of the three top courtesans of La Belle Époque France. Her dancing career took her all over Europe and briefly into the opera Carmen. However, she also bet her own ass at the gambling tables of Monte Carlo and lost $25 million. Sources (Used/Consulted/ReadContinue reading "A Real Life Carmen – Ep.18"

Émilienne d’Alençon is what one co-host likes to call the forgotten member of Les Grandes Trois of Belle Époque France. She is also the reason for the rabbits down this rabbit hole. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Émilienne d’Alençon: Vivre d’amour en 1900 by Carole Wrona Trois Grâces de la Belle Époque by Claude DufresneContinue reading "The Rabbit Tamer – Ep.17"

As Pixie calls her, Liane de Pougy’s fairy godmother of courtesanship started in the gutters of Paris and rose to the level of calling on the Emperor of France. Valtesse is even said to be the real life inspiration for Zola’s Nana. Not that she would ever be amused by that. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along theContinue reading "Real Life Nana – Ep. 16"

From the moment she left her first husband, Liane de Pougy's life was anything but normal. Becoming one of the top courtesans of the era was also probably not what her parents' had in mind when they had a convent educate her.

Bringing plays off Broadway, Eva Le Gallienne performed many of the same roles as Maude Adams and Sarah Bernhardt, but her life wasn’t as smooth. From lesbian divorce scandal to chronic unemployment, Le Gallienne played from stage to Hollywood. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Shattered Applause: The Lives of Eva Le Gallienne by Robert A.Continue reading "Off and On Broadway – Ep.14"

Maude Adams was the beloved American stage actress who brought J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan to life on stage for the first time. She was also a Mormom, probably a lesbian, and the pre-Greta Garbo wanting to be alone.

Sarah Bernhardt was the premier actress of the French Theater during her lifetime, a lifetime that saw such antics as sleeping in coffins and liaisons with princes. There is a reason newspapers felt comfortable saying she had four children by four men, including a condemned murderer and the Pope. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Sarah:Continue reading "Grande Dame of the French Theater – Ep.12"

Ida Rubinstein didn’t die at the height of her fame but instead faded away into obscurity. Despite that ending, she was instrumental to the creation of the Ballets Russes and inspired both painters and writers. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Dancing in the Vortex: The Story of Ida Rubinstein by Vicki Woolf Romaine Brooks: AContinue reading "Origins of the Ballets Russes – Ep.11"

Once again, we take a look at Natalie Barney, but this time, we’re digging into some major works of her life. We’re looking at how she got her nickname, her Académie des Femmes, and some of her major works to support other writers. Sources (Used/Consulted/Read Along the Way) Wild Heart: A Life by Suzanne RodriguezContinue reading "The Amazon – Ep. 10"

Thelma Wood is known for her affair with the writer Djuna Barnes, which spawned the modernist masterpiece Nightwood. Nadine Huong is another side character and lover of Natalie Barney, despite her own adventures like service in the Chinese Army. Sources (Used/Read/Consulted Along the Way) Djuna: The Life and Work of Djuna Barnes by Phillip HerringContinue reading "Silverpoint Art and Military Service – Ep.9"