La Païva
Encyclopedia
Esther Lachmann, later Pauline Thérèse Lachmann, later Mme Villoing, later Mme la Marquise de Païva, later Countess Henckel von Donnersmarck, and generally known as la Païva (7 May 1819 - 21 January 1884) was the most successful of 19th century French courtesan
s. She was known for decadent parties given at the Hôtel de la Païva
, her luxurious mansion at the Champs-Elysees
in Paris
, which became a symbol of the Second Empire
, an exemplar of the taste of the time.
She was born to Jewish parents of Polish ancestry in the Moscow
ghetto, where her parents Martin Lachmann, a weaver, and his wife Anna Amalie Klein had taken refuge.
On 11 August 1836, aged seventeen, she married Antoine Villoing, a tailor. Together they had one son. Esther fled the marriage, and took up residence in the slums of Paris
, near the Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, assuming the name Thérèse, and set about trying to find a rich suitor.
She found one in Henri Herz
, a pianist, and became his mistress, gaining entry into artistic, though not aristocratic, society. It is generally believed that they married in London
, but it is not clear that this actually occurred - in any case, such a marriage would have been bigamous. By him she had a daughter.
Richard Wagner
, Hans von Bülow
, Théophile Gautier
, and Emile de Girardin
attended her salon
. Thérèse's spending nearly ruined Herz's finances, and he traveled to America in 1848 to pursue business opportunities. While he was away, her spending continued, and Herz's family turned Thérèse out of the house in frustration. She took up residence at the hôtel Valin. One of her friends, Esther Guimond, took her to a milliner, Carnille, who advised her to go to London
, with an arsenal of couture, to seek her fortune. At Covent Garden
, Thérèse captured the attentions of Lord Stanley.
She returned to Paris, and from there to the spa at Baden
, where she met a Portuguese marquis, Albino Francesco de Païva-Araujo. Her first husband had died of consumption, so she was free to marry the marquis on 5 June 1851, acquiring a fortune, a title, and her nickname, La Païva. The day following, Horace de Viel-Castel
wrote, she told her husband, "You wanted to sleep with me, and you've done so, by making me your wife. You have given me your name, I acquitted myself last night. I have behaved like an honest woman, I wanted a position, and I've got it, but all you have is a prostitute for a wife. You can't take me anywhere, and you can't introduce me to anyone. We must therefore separate. You go back to Portugal. I shall stay here with your name, and remain a whore." And, indeed, the marquis returned to Portugal, leaving her behind. The marriage was not annulled until 16 August 1871, and the marquis shot himself in 1872.
Cornelia Otis Skinner
wrote that one of La Païva's conquests was a banker of whom she demanded twenty banknotes of one thousand francs each - which, she stipulated, he must burn one by one during their lovemaking. The banker decided to substitute counterfeit banknotes. Even so, the sight of their incineration was so unnerving that he could not accomplish his part of the tryst.
According to Richardson's biography, La Païva was hard and unforgiving to her many servants, and she once shot a horse that had thrown her off.
Her final conquest was Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck
, a famously rich Prussia
n count eleven years her junior, who gave her the Château de Pontchartrain in Seine-et-Oise
and the famous yellow Donnersmarck diamonds. She married him on 28 October 1871. With his money, she erected the most elegant mansion in Paris, the Hôtel de la Païva
at the Champs-Elysees
, designed by Pierre Manguin. Viel-Castel says she regularly wore some two million francs' worth of diamonds, pearls and other gems.
It was widely believed, though never proved that she and her husband were asked to leave France in 1877 on suspicion of espionage. In any case, they went to live in Henckel's castle at Neudeck
in Upper Silesia
; he had a second estate at Hochdorf
in Lower Silesia
.
She died at their castle in Neudeck on 21 January 1884, aged 64. According to legend, her husband preserved her body in embalming fluid, which was later discovered by his next wife.
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
s. She was known for decadent parties given at the Hôtel de la Païva
Hôtel de la Païva
The Hôtel de La Païva was built between 1856 and 1865 at 25 Avenue des Champs-Élysées by the courtesan Thérèse Lachman, better known as La Païva. She was born in modest circumstances in the Moscow ghetto, of Polish parents...
, her luxurious mansion at the Champs-Elysees
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, which became a symbol of the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
, an exemplar of the taste of the time.
She was born to Jewish parents of Polish ancestry in the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
ghetto, where her parents Martin Lachmann, a weaver, and his wife Anna Amalie Klein had taken refuge.
On 11 August 1836, aged seventeen, she married Antoine Villoing, a tailor. Together they had one son. Esther fled the marriage, and took up residence in the slums of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, near the Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, assuming the name Thérèse, and set about trying to find a rich suitor.
She found one in Henri Herz
Henri Herz
Henri Herz was a pianist and composer, Austrian by birth, and French by domicile.Herz was born Heinrich Herz in Vienna...
, a pianist, and became his mistress, gaining entry into artistic, though not aristocratic, society. It is generally believed that they married in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, but it is not clear that this actually occurred - in any case, such a marriage would have been bigamous. By him she had a daughter.
Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
, Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
, Théophile Gautier
Théophile Gautier
Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, art critic and literary critic....
, and Emile de Girardin
Émile de Girardin
Émile de Girardin , was a French journalist, publicist, and politician. He was born in Paris in 1802, the son of General Alexandre de Girardin and of Madame Dupuy , wife of a Parisian advocate....
attended her salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
. Thérèse's spending nearly ruined Herz's finances, and he traveled to America in 1848 to pursue business opportunities. While he was away, her spending continued, and Herz's family turned Thérèse out of the house in frustration. She took up residence at the hôtel Valin. One of her friends, Esther Guimond, took her to a milliner, Carnille, who advised her to go to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, with an arsenal of couture, to seek her fortune. At Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, Thérèse captured the attentions of Lord Stanley.
She returned to Paris, and from there to the spa at Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, where she met a Portuguese marquis, Albino Francesco de Païva-Araujo. Her first husband had died of consumption, so she was free to marry the marquis on 5 June 1851, acquiring a fortune, a title, and her nickname, La Païva. The day following, Horace de Viel-Castel
Horace de Viel-Castel
Marc-Roch-Horace de Salviac, Baron de Viel-Castel, known as Horace de Viel-Castel , was an art lover and collector, and director of the Louvre until 1863. A Bonapartist, he staunchly supported Napoleon III...
wrote, she told her husband, "You wanted to sleep with me, and you've done so, by making me your wife. You have given me your name, I acquitted myself last night. I have behaved like an honest woman, I wanted a position, and I've got it, but all you have is a prostitute for a wife. You can't take me anywhere, and you can't introduce me to anyone. We must therefore separate. You go back to Portugal. I shall stay here with your name, and remain a whore." And, indeed, the marquis returned to Portugal, leaving her behind. The marriage was not annulled until 16 August 1871, and the marquis shot himself in 1872.
Cornelia Otis Skinner
Cornelia Otis Skinner
Cornelia Otis Skinner was an American author and actress.-Biography:Skinner was the daughter of the actor Otis Skinner and his wife Maud Skinner. After attending the all-girls' Baldwin School and Bryn Mawr College and studying theatre at the Sorbonne in Paris, she began her career on the stage...
wrote that one of La Païva's conquests was a banker of whom she demanded twenty banknotes of one thousand francs each - which, she stipulated, he must burn one by one during their lovemaking. The banker decided to substitute counterfeit banknotes. Even so, the sight of their incineration was so unnerving that he could not accomplish his part of the tryst.
According to Richardson's biography, La Païva was hard and unforgiving to her many servants, and she once shot a horse that had thrown her off.
Her final conquest was Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck
Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck
Guido Georg Friedrich Erdmann Heinrich Adalbert Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck, from 1901 Fürst Henckel von Donnersmarck was a German nobleman, industrial magnate, and one of the richest men of his time...
, a famously rich Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n count eleven years her junior, who gave her the Château de Pontchartrain in Seine-et-Oise
Seine-et-Oise
Seine-et-Oise was a département of France encompassing the western, northern, and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its préfecture was Versailles and its official number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was abolished in 1968....
and the famous yellow Donnersmarck diamonds. She married him on 28 October 1871. With his money, she erected the most elegant mansion in Paris, the Hôtel de la Païva
Hôtel de la Païva
The Hôtel de La Païva was built between 1856 and 1865 at 25 Avenue des Champs-Élysées by the courtesan Thérèse Lachman, better known as La Païva. She was born in modest circumstances in the Moscow ghetto, of Polish parents...
at the Champs-Elysees
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
, designed by Pierre Manguin. Viel-Castel says she regularly wore some two million francs' worth of diamonds, pearls and other gems.
It was widely believed, though never proved that she and her husband were asked to leave France in 1877 on suspicion of espionage. In any case, they went to live in Henckel's castle at Neudeck
Swierklaniec
Świerklaniec is a village in Tarnowskie Góry County, in the Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland.-Geography:Świerklaniec lies approximately east of Tarnowskie Góry and north of the regional capital Katowice in the Silesia region....
in Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
; he had a second estate at Hochdorf
Hochdorf
Hochdorf may refer to* Hochdorf, Lucerne, a municipality in Switzerland* Hochdorf , a district in the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland* Hochdorf, Esslingen, a municipality in the district of Esslingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
in Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia ; is the northwestern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Upper Silesia is to the southeast.Throughout its history Lower Silesia has been under the control of the medieval Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy from 1526...
.
She died at their castle in Neudeck on 21 January 1884, aged 64. According to legend, her husband preserved her body in embalming fluid, which was later discovered by his next wife.