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It seems like our fascination with the idea of "the courtesan" never gets old. The 39th-annual Rencontres d'Arles, France's most famous photography festival, features an exhibit on“Les Insoumises,” the most important courtesans of the 19th century. The show, curated by designer Christian Lacroix, contains 30 calling cards and daguerreotypes of these "insubordinates" who, "unlike common prostitutes, refused to submit to police licensing or conventional morals. They were glamorous, venal and usually ended up badly but while the going was good they were celebrated, from before the Empire and after its end, by writers from Dumas fils to Maupassant and Zola." The images on display are primarily "cartes de visites" photographs, small calling cards that, in the case of the most notorious courtesans also served as souvenirs and, not incidentally, advertising. More »
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