Why the Countess of Castiglione Spent Her Fortune on Photos

Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, was sent to Paris in 1855 by her cousin, the future architect of Italian unification, with one unofficial job: win over Napoleon III. She did. Then, starting in 1856, she spent the next forty years and most of her fortune directing a photographer named Pierre-Louis Pierson through several hundred elaborately staged self-portraits, choosing the costumes, the poses, and the camera angles herself, right up until her own decline in the 1890s. This episode covers her disputed birth records, the affair with Napoleon III and how it actually (probably) ended, her disputed role in Italian unification, the photographic project that made her one of the most photographed people of the entire 19th century, and her strange, reclusive final decades. ------------- Find our Podcast on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music or where ever you listen to your podcasts. We have a Substack as well - https://thefashionmemoir1.substack.com/ ------------- Watch our other videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM3OqLHVo6eGkl86dsCJlWdQg9UNuNoWm https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM3OqLHVo6eH5hSfUOdjVzGLZxfJOKbeG -------------- 💬 Which fashion icon should we explore next? Let me know what you think in the comments. 👍 Like, 🔔 subscribe, and click the bell so you never miss an icon. https://www.youtube.com/@TheFashionMemoir ✨ Remember: in fashion as in life, be fearless and fabulous — this is The Fashion Memoir.