The Homance Chronicles

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, known simply as Colette, was one of France's most celebrated writers of the 20th century. Born in Burgundy, France, in 1873, Colette began her life in a small village and married young. Her life was full of scandal and controversey. However, despite the limitations placed on women during this time, Colette pursued a career in writing and became a literary sensation with her debut novel, "Claudine at School," which was published in 1900. She went on to write several more books, including "Chéri" and "Gigi," which were later adapted into films.

Beyond her prolific writing career, Colette was a fascinating figure in her personal life as well. She was a feminist and a bisexual, openly exploring her sexuality and relationships with both men and women in her writing and in her personal life.

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Joan Crawford was an Oscar-winning actress, dancer and executive. Joan Crawford's extraordinary career encompassed over 45 years and some 80 films. Joan was born Lucille Fay LeSueur and had a rough childhood. Her father left before she was one-year-old, so she had to work to survive instead of focus on school.

That didn't deter her from following her dreams of becoming a dancer and actress. She moved to Hollywood around 20 years old and her career took off fairly quickly. Unfortunately, it fizzled after only 6 years, but she is the comeback queen. She was in the Top Ten earners in the U.S. at one point. Joan couldn't escape being milked for money by her family though.

She ultimately got married four times and adopted 4(ish) children. She eventually took home an Oscar later in her career. She was a hustler until the day she died. Her first two children didn't have many nice words to say about her. Her oldest daughter, Christina, wrote the 1978 memoir Mommie Dearest, which paints an abusive and uncontrollable picture of Joan as a mother. At the end of the day, despite what has been said, Joan Crawford is an icon and a legend.

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Alma Maria Mahler Gropius Werfel was a composer, socialite, and a bit unhinged. Pathological cruelty, antisemitism, vanity and a sense that the world owed Alma Maria Schindler something in token for her brilliance and beauty were some of the traits her admirers and enemies alike recognised in Alma (from theguardian.com).

She was married three times to different artists and had impressionable moments with other notable men, which all led to her being a well-known femme fatale. She always wanted to be around creative geniuses and that actually led her to America where she became a cultural icon. Her life wasn't easy though.

She lost multiple children and her first husband to illness. Although, that didn't stop her from thinking that it was her way or noway. So much so that she influenced and altered history in a way that has been labled, "The Alma Problem."

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Fannie Porter was one of the most iconic madames during the times of the Wild Wild West. She started working as a sex working at 15 years old. By the age of 20 she was already widowed and owned her own brothel in San Antonio, Texas. She right in the middle of the "Sporting District," which was actually a red light district.

Her brothel was known to host all of the bad boys, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, plus the whole Wild Bunch. She served as somewhat of a headquarters for the outlaws and ended up kind of being a matchmaker for them. Of course, she catered to the lawmen as well. She ran a respectful hideout and was known for how secretive she was about the clientele and what she may have known about their plans, actions, and whereabouts.

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Joanna Hiffernan, or Joanna Heffernan, has a lot of gaps in her recorded history; as you can tell from not even knowing the correct spelling of her last name. However, the parts of her life that we do know are inspiring and thought-provoking.

She was known as, The Woman in White, because she was wearing a white dress while being the muse of famous American painter, James Whistler, in one of his paintings. Their relationship turned romantic for several years that resulted in her managing his business and raising his child (even though it wasn't hers). She was also linked to Whistler's friend and fellow painter, Gustave Courbet.

She was willing to pose nude, wasn't afraid to talk dirty, and ultimately, live the life she wanted.

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Ada Lovelace is an English mathematician and was called the First Tech Visionary by The New Yorker. She's also been called the first computer programmer for writing an algorithm for a computing machine in the mid-1800s.

Ada Lovelace, born as Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815. She was born into privilege as the daughter of a famously unstable romantic poet, Lord George Gordon Byron. Her parents separated within weeks of her being born and she never had a relationship with her father. She wasn't close with her mother either. She was raised by her grandmother for the most part.

She spent much of her life ill, but was able to have three children and still study mathematics. She socialized in high fluentent circles, which provided her opportunities to contribute to scientific publications. However, her life turned to gambling, flirting with affairs, and unfortunatley cancer at the age of 36.

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Peggy Guggenheim was a self-described "art addict" who sought to distinguish herself from her business-oriented relatives and make her mark on the world through collecting and traveling in avant-garde circles. Peggy's lived her life out loud. She wasn't shy about her promiscuous lifestyle, attempted plastic surgery, or love for all things different and modern. Born to the wealthy New York City Guggenheim family, she was the daughter of Benjamin Guggenheim, who went down with the Titanic in 1912, and the niece of Solomon R. Guggenheim, who established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

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In all of United States History, there has only been one woman to receive the Medal of Honor. Dr. Mary Edwards Walker is that woman. As a surgeon, women's rights advocate, abolitionist, and spy, Walker became the first female U.S. Army surgeon during the Civil War. Her legacy has been celebrated across the country, and in 2012 Walker's hometown unveiled a 900-pound bronze statue in honor of her contributions.

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Alice Lee Roosevelt was the first and only child born to Theodore Roosevelt and Alice Hathaway Lee. After her mother's death, Alice, known as "Baby Lee," lived with her aunt, Anna "Bamie" Roosevelt, while her father started a ranching venture in the Dakota Territory. Her father remarried and reentered the political scene, eventually becoming President. Alice became well-known for her fashion and quick wit. She was a socialite by the age of 16 and continued to live an unconventional and controversial life. She was banned from The White House...twice.

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Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. Often referred to as "The First Lady of the American Screen," Bette Davis created a new kind of screen heroine. She was a liberated woman in an industry dominated by men. She was known as an actress that could play a variety of difficult and powerful roles, and because of this she set a new standard for women on the big screen.

With a career total of more than 100 films, Bette changed the way Hollywood looked at actresses. In 1977, she was the first woman to be honored with the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also the first woman to be president of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences.

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