Marie Duplessis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Marie Duplessis was born Alphonsine Rose Plessis in 1824 to Marin Plessis and Marie Plessis (née Deshayes) at Nonant-le-Pin, Normandy, France. At the age of 15, she moved to Paris, where she found work in a dress shop. By the time she was 16, she had become aware that prominent men were willing to give her money in exchange for her company in both private and social settings. She became a courtesan and learned to read and write, and to stay abreast of world events so as to be able to converse on these topics with her clients and at social functions. She also added the faux noble 'Du' to her name. 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 from September 1844 to August 1845. Afterward, she is believed to have become the mistress of composer Franz Liszt, who reportedly wished to live with her. In the summer of 1844, Plessis found her last great patron, the 78-year-old Count Gustav von Stackelberg (1766-1850). He was personally extremely wealthy and received a pension from the Tsar. Plessis and Stackelberg are said to have met at the spa resort of Bagnères-de-Luchon. She agreed to a liaison and he furnished her a magnificent six-room apartment on Boulevard de la Madeleine in Paris. She was briefly married to at least one of her lovers: Count Édouard de Perregaux (1815-1889), a French nobleman and army officer.

Reader's Guide

Marie Duplessis's significance lies primarily in her role as the real-life model for one of the most enduring romantic heroines in Western literature and opera. Alexandre Dumas fils's 1848 novel La Dame aux Camélias, written within a year of her death, transformed her into Marguerite Gautier, a tragic courtesan. Dumas adapted the story as a play in 1852, which in turn inspired Giuseppe Verdi's 1853 opera La traviata and various films. Much of what is known about Duplessis herself has been filtered through these fictionalized portrayals and contemporary legends, making it difficult to separate fact from literary embellishment. Her life as a courtesan and salon hostess, her brief marriage, and her death from tuberculosis at age 23 have all contributed to her romanticized legacy. The journalist Romain Vienne, a childhood friend, wrote La Vérité sur la dame aux camélias to correct some of the fictions that had grown up around her.

Did You Know?

• Marie Duplessis was born Alphonsine Rose Plessis and added the faux noble 'Du' to her name.
• She learned to read and write and stayed abreast of world events to converse with clients.
• Her last great patron was the 78-year-old Count Gustav von Stackelberg, who furnished her a six-room apartment on Boulevard de la Madeleine.
• She was briefly married to Count Édouard de Perregaux, a French nobleman and army officer.
• Her funeral in Montmartre Cemetery was attended by hundreds of people.