page_title: Marie Duplessis
section_title: Life as a courtesan
hierarchical_section_title: Marie Duplessis / Life as a courtesan
caption_attribution_description: English: Passport issued to Alphonsine Plessis by the French government. Mllle. Plessis was better known as Marie Duplessis, the lover of Alexandre Dumas the younger. Image courtesy of the Beinecke Rare Book &amp; Manuscript Library, Yale University.[1]
context_page_description: Marie Duplessis was a French courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent and wealthy men. She was the inspiration for Marguerite Gautier, the main character of the 1848 novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas the younger, one of Duplessis' lovers. Much of what is known about her has been derived from the literary persona and contemporary legends.
context_section_description: Duplessis was both a popular courtesan and the hostess of a salon, where politicians, writers, and artists gathered for stimulating conversation and socializing. She rode in the Bois de Boulogne and attended opera performances. She also had her portrait painted by Édouard Viénot.
  Duplessis was the mistress of Alexandre Dumas fils, between September 1844 and August 1845. Afterwards, she is believed to have become the mistress of composer Franz Liszt, who reportedly wished to live with her. In her short life, she gained a reputation as a discreet, intelligent, and witty lover. She remained in the good graces of many of her benefactors even after her relationships with them had ended.
  She was briefly married to at least one of her lovers: a French nobleman, Count Édouard de Perregaux.
caption: Passport issued to Alphonsine Plessis, January 1846
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