1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:03,960 Speaker 1: Hey everybody. Before we get started today, we want to 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: make sure everyone knows about our upcoming live shows. First up, 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: Holly will be at Salt Lake Comic Con September one, three. 4 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: I won't be able to make it to that one, 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: so past guest and friend of the show, Brian Young 6 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: will be talking with her about laun Cheney. Then on 7 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: October six pm, we will be appearing as part of 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: New York Comic Con Presents and we'll be talking about 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: the first comic book. You can find out more information 10 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: on all of this ticket links everything like that if 11 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,200 Speaker 1: you go to Missed in History dot com and click 12 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:45,360 Speaker 1: the link that says live shows. Welcome to Steph you 13 00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: missed in History class from how Stuff Works dot com. Hello, 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Frying and I'm 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,360 Speaker 1: Tracy V. Wilson, and today we're doing a podcast on 16 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,000 Speaker 1: one of those people that come up in history who's 17 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:06,880 Speaker 1: kind of larger than life. I'm actually shocked that a 18 00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: lot of people don't know who she is, um just 19 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 1: because she was really like h tastemaker as well as 20 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: being the source of much gossip and discussion in her time. 21 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: She's not she's not a name that I recognized when 22 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: you sent the outline over. But if so as I 23 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:30,039 Speaker 1: saw a picture, I would that person. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 24 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: She is really unique in that while many people admired 25 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: her over the years for her life, which was led 26 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: entirely based on her aesthetics and this idea of creating oneself, 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: when you really start to examine her biography and look 28 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: at her life story, you also find a woman who 29 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: was incredibly selfish, and she was even described by close 30 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: friends as megalomaniacal, so clearly a very flawed person. So 31 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: I think that's why it is so startling to me 32 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: that she is so lauded as this amazing icon of style, 33 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: when the same people who do that are like, oh, yes, 34 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,880 Speaker 1: but she was in many ways terrible. But even when 35 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: taking into account her really irresponsible and utterly self centered behavior, 36 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:13,519 Speaker 1: it is also easy in some ways to see how 37 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: she charmed European high society in the early nineteen hundreds 38 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: simply by being such an outlandish creature and really something 39 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,919 Speaker 1: of a caricature of her own design. And this very 40 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: complex woman that we're talking about today is Marquesa Louisa Casati. 41 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: She was born Louisa Adele Rosa Maria Aman on January 42 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: one and Milan, Italy. Her parents were Alberto Aman and 43 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: Lucia Bressi. The family was quite wealthy thanks to a 44 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: successful cotton mill, and Alberto was granted the title of 45 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: count by Italy's King Umberto the First. As a child, 46 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: Luisa was interested in art. She taught herself how to draw, 47 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,640 Speaker 1: first copying images that she had seen in print and 48 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:00,680 Speaker 1: then applying her skill to creating portrait of her family. 49 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: Luisa was considered a lot less attractive than her older 50 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: sister Francesca, and living a rather isolated life. As a 51 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: child of wealth, she was rather shy. In April of 52 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,040 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four, Count Amman and his wife were traveling 53 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: in Florence for business, and so they didn't have their 54 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 1: daughters with them on the trip, and the Countess, who 55 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 1: was only thirty seven at the time, became quite ill 56 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: suddenly and she died, although it is still unknown what 57 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: exactly caused her illness. And in the two years following 58 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: Luccia's death, Alberto tried to raise his daughters, but his 59 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:37,920 Speaker 1: business really required more and more of his time, and 60 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: keep in mind also he was grieving his wife at 61 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: this point Uh. He died on July eleven, two years 62 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: after his wife, leaving his then teenage daughters with an 63 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: immense fortune. The girls lived with their paternal uncle, Eduardo 64 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: Ahman and his wife Fanny for a while after their 65 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: father's death, but naturally they were restless teenagers. They were 66 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: eager to engage with the modern world, and their new 67 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 1: home was in a small community that was about twenty 68 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,640 Speaker 1: five miles away from Milan. Yeah, they were very restless. 69 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: They wanted to go to the city all the time, 70 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: which is something that they had done with their mother 71 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: a lot. So there's that two factor in as well. Uh. 72 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: And eventually in nineteen hundred, Luisa made her debut and 73 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: soon after, on June twenty two of that same year, 74 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: she married Camilo Casati Stampa Diconcino, three years her senior, 75 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: and she became a Marquesa in the process. And this 76 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:36,360 Speaker 1: match was really a good one, at least on paper. 77 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: What Kasati lacked in liquid wealth, he made up for 78 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: in noble heritage, and while Luisa had no nobility in 79 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: her family line, she had a great deal of money. 80 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: So they kind of complimented each other in that regard, 81 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:51,640 Speaker 1: and the newlywed's actually went to the Paris Exposition on 82 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 1: their honeymoon. A year into their marriage, on July fifteenth, 83 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,719 Speaker 1: nine one, the Casati has had a daughter, Christina, and 84 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: at the point it seemed like Louisa was on track 85 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: for a fairly conventional life that would be expected for 86 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: a wealthy married heiress. She had an interest in the 87 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: occult in a supernatural, which were pretty popular topics at 88 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: the time, but she was leading a pretty typical, though 89 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: very lavish life. Yeah, we really cannot stress how rich 90 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: she was. She was often touted as the richest woman 91 00:05:23,520 --> 00:05:25,960 Speaker 1: in Italy, the richest woman in Europe. Some people called 92 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: her the richest woman in the world during her heyday. 93 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: But then in nineteen o three, Louisa met the Italian 94 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: poet and playwright Gabrielle de Nunzio, and her life took 95 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: on a very different course. For a little background on 96 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: de Nunzio, he was famous already at this point for 97 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,719 Speaker 1: his romantic exploits with actresses and socialites throughout Europe. He 98 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 1: is sometimes credited as the inventor of fascism, and an 99 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: Atlas Obscure article written about him in late described a 100 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: Nunzio as quote, across between the Marquis, Assad Aaron Burr, 101 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 1: i'm and and Madonna. So that gives you an idea 102 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: of what he may have been like as a person. 103 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: Uh De Nunzio wrote in his novel Il Piacere in 104 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: nine quote, it's necessary that the life of an intellectual 105 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: be artwork with him as the subject. The Nunzio first 106 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,720 Speaker 1: saw the Marquesa, as she wrote, on horseback one day 107 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:23,600 Speaker 1: during a fox hunt. He wasn't participating in this fox hunt, 108 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: he was just watching. When he saw the woman, who 109 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 1: he later likened to quote a slender Amazon. He was 110 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,560 Speaker 1: immediately taken with her, and from that moment on he 111 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: made sure to attend many of the same hunting parties 112 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: as the Casadis did, just so he could get close 113 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: to her. When he did at first start by flirting 114 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:48,160 Speaker 1: with her sister, he remained fixated on the Marquesa. Yeah. 115 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: There are many theories as to whether he was just 116 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: lavishing attention on her sister is a way to get 117 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: Louise's attention, or if he was just maybe playing the 118 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 1: odds hoping either of these heiresses would be into him. 119 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:02,120 Speaker 1: But for Luisa's part, At this point, she was already 120 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: growing really frustrated with the role of wife. She felt 121 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 1: like she was confined by the expectations of it, and 122 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: she was progressively less and less shy. As it seems, 123 00:07:12,280 --> 00:07:16,640 Speaker 1: she looked to others for social stimulation, and slowly, throughout 124 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: the course of a series of hunts and events where 125 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: de Nunzio made sure he was there, she became aware 126 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 1: of him. And he was nearly twenty years older than 127 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: she was, and his jouis davive and his adventurous spirit 128 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: eventually captivated her, though he was far from being an 129 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,400 Speaker 1: especially handsome man. But it wasn't long before Luisa and 130 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: de Nunzio began a sexual relationship, so the affair that 131 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: the two of them had was intense. Casati became de 132 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,560 Speaker 1: Nunzio's muse and Cassarti's husband seemed to just ignore the 133 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: whole situation. Soon, Louisa, who do Nunzio had called quote 134 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: destroyer of mediocrity in one of his book dedications, had 135 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: become the toast of Europe's avant garde set. Uh yeah, 136 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 1: we'll talk a little bit more about uh Camillo Kasati 137 00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: and why he seemed to be okay with ignoring this 138 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: situation in a bit. Uh, But we should say that 139 00:08:07,040 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: while Luisa and de Nunzio were sort of gallivanting around Europe, 140 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: it was not as though everyone immediately accepted the pair. 141 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: While mistresses were certainly common for wealthy men, for a 142 00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:23,160 Speaker 1: wealthy married woman to fairly openly pursue a romance with 143 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: a man who was not her husband was still considered 144 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 1: quite scandalous, and Luisa often found herself the subject of gossip, 145 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: both whispered and in print. Although it did not seem 146 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: to bother her, she actually seemed to kind of like it. 147 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:38,760 Speaker 1: She also started to gather a list of very high 148 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,679 Speaker 1: profile friends and admirers. As their list of high profile 149 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,079 Speaker 1: friends and admirers got longer and longer, make Kasa Luisa 150 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: Kasati continued to evolve. She constantly up to the bar 151 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: on her own outlandishness to basically keep people interested in 152 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: her and feed all the stories in the gossip columns. 153 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: So not only was she not bothered by the gossip, 154 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,840 Speaker 1: she was encouraging it. Yeah, that goes on throughout her life. Um, 155 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 1: and she was such an unusual character that she became 156 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 1: almost mythical. Her extreme appearance, which we'll talk about in 157 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: a bit, uh fostered all manner of gossip and speculation 158 00:09:12,679 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: that was both tied to and reaching beyond any that 159 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,439 Speaker 1: had circulated about her affair with De Nunzio, and she seems, 160 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: as Tracy just said, to have consciously nurtured the more 161 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:25,920 Speaker 1: outlandish stories that were told about her in social circles 162 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:29,920 Speaker 1: and society pages. Living in the vast luxurious homes that 163 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: she stared with her husband, because they did have several homes, 164 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: often left the Marquisa feeling lonely, isolated and bored. She 165 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 1: countered this problem by throwing really lavish balls and parties, 166 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:44,559 Speaker 1: often for charity. She was often outfitted in the most 167 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:49,319 Speaker 1: extreme and showy ensembles for these themed events. And we're 168 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: gonna talk more about how Kasati started to morph into 169 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: an almost entirely different person after she met De Nunzio 170 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: in just a moment, But first we're gonna pause for 171 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 1: a word from one of our spawn swerves. Throughout the 172 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,600 Speaker 1: years following nineteen o three, when she first met de Nunzio, 173 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: the Marquesa changed dramatically. Uh Do Nunzio's idea of self 174 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: creation is art which we mentioned a moment ago really 175 00:10:18,360 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 1: struck a chord with Luisa, and Kasati was naturally a 176 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: very striking figure. You'll remember that he saw her riding 177 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: on horseback and was completely taken with her. She was 178 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: six ft tall, and she was very very thin. But 179 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,800 Speaker 1: she actually chose to accentuate these physical traits rather than 180 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,960 Speaker 1: minimizing them, and she created a sort of character in 181 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: the way that she chose to present herself. So her hair, 182 00:10:41,040 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: which was naturally sort of a dark brown color, slowly 183 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,199 Speaker 1: shifted in shades to become a brighter and brighter shade 184 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: of red. She's powdered her skin so it would be 185 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,679 Speaker 1: as pale as possible, and she took on the habit 186 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:58,199 Speaker 1: of maintaining a constant smoky eye appearance by applying plenty 187 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: and plenty of coal eyeliner. She was really dedicated to 188 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: maintaining a very heavy, dark eyed look. Sometimes she would 189 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: go so far as to glue strips of black velvet 190 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:10,839 Speaker 1: around her eyes in addition to always wearing these very 191 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: heavy fake lashes. Sometimes she would have several layers of 192 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:18,720 Speaker 1: lashes on at a time. I have hard enough time 193 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 1: with one. On the rare occasion that I have reason 194 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: to wear eyelashes. She's even said to have taken Bella 195 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: Donna and regular doses to try to keep her pupils 196 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: dilated for the aesthetic effect, which also sounds very difficult. 197 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:38,800 Speaker 1: All of this artifice was because she wanted, in her 198 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: own words, to become quote a living work of art, 199 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:46,079 Speaker 1: and the sentiment was very clearly in line with De 200 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: Nunzio's ideology as an artist like you, I can't imagine 201 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: that that much heaviness. At times, she allegedly wore false 202 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: eyelashes that were like two inches long and then layered 203 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 1: it would feel like chandelier. But it did make her 204 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 1: quite striking and memorable. I remember at my wedding, my 205 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:11,439 Speaker 1: lashes were really two different lashes, but one of them 206 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: was like a half set m hm. And even then 207 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,959 Speaker 1: that was a lot of eyelash too much. I wonder 208 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: about the strength of her eyelids, like they were constantly 209 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:25,480 Speaker 1: getting a workout. Um all of these changes in her appearance, 210 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 1: because up to this point she really had kind of 211 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:33,120 Speaker 1: looked like the classic well dressed, almost Gibson girl esque image. 212 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: But these changes did not go unnoticed by Kasati's friends 213 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: and acquaintances, and so as she stepped farther and farther 214 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,720 Speaker 1: out of her demure appearance as a wife of nobility, 215 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 1: people actually began to speculate that there may be some 216 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,680 Speaker 1: occult influence it was being exerted by de Nunzio that 217 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: was causing this shift in her appearance and behavior, because 218 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,120 Speaker 1: it was so dramatic. When I went to find artwork 219 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: to go with this episode, uh, my first thought after 220 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: oh yeah, was is it Halloween already? It's always Halloween, Tracy. 221 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: So for his part, do Nunzio was equally under her spell. 222 00:13:10,920 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: So he had seduced a lot of women in his time, 223 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: and he would eventually move on when either his interest 224 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:20,760 Speaker 1: in them or their money ran out. But Luisa really 225 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: kept his attention in part because she just stayed really 226 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 1: obsessed with herself and her transformation. She was more obsessed 227 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: with that than she was with him, and that and 228 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:36,720 Speaker 1: their shared love of aesthetics and decadence really fueled their romance. 229 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: Neither of them was tethered to the other, but they 230 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 1: stayed involved romantically for decades. Yeah. I was reading in 231 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: in one account that part of the reason was that 232 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: she always met him as an equal like. She never 233 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,079 Speaker 1: fell into the the traditional role of a woman is 234 00:13:54,120 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: subservient when she was with him, and so he sort 235 00:13:56,920 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: of was very intoxicated by that. In nineteen o six, 236 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: Camillo Casati, her husband, commissioned another home, this one in Rome, 237 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:09,720 Speaker 1: and Luisa was given complete control over its decor and 238 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: the move, at least for part of her time to Rome, remember, 239 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: she lived in many houses, facilitated Luisa meeting some new 240 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:19,640 Speaker 1: friends who were as obsessed with art as she was, 241 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: including the painter and sculptor Albetto Martini and the futurist 242 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: Felippo Tomaso Marinetti. Through De Nunzio, she also met with 243 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: the celebrated portrait painter Giovanni Bordini. This artist was instantly 244 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: fascinated with Luisa and he wanted to paint her in 245 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: his studio in Paris. So without hesitation, she moved immediately 246 00:14:40,640 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: and temporarily to France. She left her husband, her child, 247 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: and many many households behind. When Baldini's painting, which features 248 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: the marquesa clad almost entirely in black with accents of purple, 249 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: accompanied by a greyhound and sort of gazing directly out 250 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: from the campus. When this was unveiled as part of 251 00:14:59,680 --> 00:15:03,000 Speaker 1: a show of portraits Bibaldini, it got a lot of attention, 252 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: and it was both praised as the apex of Baldini's 253 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 1: work and criticized as having a vaguely demonic air about it. 254 00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: And that controversial assortment of attention to the work completely 255 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: delighted Luisa Kasati, but her delight quickly turned to anger 256 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: when she discovered that Baldini had denied magazines the right 257 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: to print reproductions of the portrait. She really wanted that press, 258 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: and after the artist and his subject bickered over the matter, 259 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: primarily through a series of letters back and forth, Boldini 260 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: finally consented, although he was convinced it would lead to 261 00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: a degradation of his reputation because of the bad Prince 262 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,880 Speaker 1: that would be produced. Meanwhile, De Nunzio was obsessed with Venice, 263 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: and that sparked Cassatti's own love affair with that city, 264 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: so the Marquesa decided she needed a home there too. 265 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: She had actually set the wheels in motion before this 266 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,880 Speaker 1: portrait trip to Paris, but it wasn't until after the 267 00:15:56,880 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: painting had been shown that a lease was found that 268 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: would suit her needs. In nineteen Marquesa Louisa Casati moved 269 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: into the Palazzo Vignier de Leoni, and construction on this 270 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: unfinished Venice palace was likely begun in the mid seventeen hundreds. 271 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: The luxurious home, which sits right on the canal, was 272 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: never completed by its architect, Lorenzo Boschetti, but even unfinished, 273 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: it was the perfect place from Marquesa Casati to indulge 274 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:28,280 Speaker 1: her every flamboyant whim So first she had the structure 275 00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,720 Speaker 1: restored and decorated, but she insisted that this restoration still 276 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: retained the sense of deterioration that the building had had. 277 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: She just wanted it to be structurally sound so that 278 00:16:39,320 --> 00:16:43,800 Speaker 1: it would not literally deteriorate around her. She also hired 279 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: a permanent gondolier who was always dressed in eighteenth century clothing, 280 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: complete with a powdered wig. There are stories about how 281 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: the the people who owned the other homes in the 282 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 1: area were really excited initially that it was being renovated, 283 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: because it had gotten a little delap dated and was 284 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: something of an eyesore, and then they realized there was 285 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,719 Speaker 1: nothing being done on the outside. They're like, oh, it's 286 00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,280 Speaker 1: it's still gonna look like a mess um, but she 287 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:12,360 Speaker 1: loved it that way. And then setting up her new home, 288 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,359 Speaker 1: Luisa had her greyhounds transported to Venice, and then she 289 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,880 Speaker 1: purchased two cheetahs as pets as well. She would eventually 290 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: start taking the cheetahs out in her gondola and walking 291 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:28,640 Speaker 1: them through Venice on jeweled leashes. To complete her image 292 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: in her new city, Marquesa, Casati turned to the designer 293 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: Mariano Fortuny. Long lean lines and rich colors and luxurious 294 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,760 Speaker 1: fabrics that for Tunia is famous for made the already 295 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: tall and then Marquesa look even more extreme, so she 296 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 1: became a really devoted customer. By this point, Luisa and Camillo, 297 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: who preferred rome, we're living almost entirely separate lives. Their daughter, Christina, 298 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:56,720 Speaker 1: who was nine when Louisa moved into her Venetian palace, 299 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:00,400 Speaker 1: was sent to boarding school. In effect, Louis Sa had 300 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,719 Speaker 1: completely rid herself of any of her familial obligations, and 301 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,840 Speaker 1: Camillo Kasati was dependent enough on his estranged wife's wealth 302 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: that he really didn't make a fuss about her essentially 303 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:16,359 Speaker 1: abandoning him and her daughter. The pair did eventually legally separate, 304 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,640 Speaker 1: but that was several years into Luisa's carefully cultivated life 305 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,600 Speaker 1: on the canal in nineteen fourteen, and it was another 306 00:18:22,640 --> 00:18:27,240 Speaker 1: decade before they would actually be divorced. Luisa incidentally insisted 307 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:29,719 Speaker 1: that she get to keep the title of Marquesa in 308 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 1: that divorce settlement. The Marquesa, who the residence of Venice 309 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: started to call La Kasati, became famous for the parties 310 00:18:37,119 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: that she both threw and attended. She became the ultimate 311 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 1: party girl. She spent massive sums of money on drinks 312 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,320 Speaker 1: as well as opium, and at one soire, a Russian 313 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: ballet dancer named Vaslav Najinski and an American dancer being 314 00:18:52,040 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: Isadora Duncan gave an impromptu performance for the other lucky 315 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,959 Speaker 1: attendees who were there. That sounds amazing. She also had 316 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: a wax version of herself made and at times she 317 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: would do things like sit in a dimly lit room 318 00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:08,880 Speaker 1: with it during her parties to see how guests would 319 00:19:08,920 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: behave when they wandered in and discovered this odd duo 320 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: and this waxen doppelganger would sometimes accompany her to dress fittings, 321 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: or it would be seated at the dining table as 322 00:19:19,320 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 1: though it was a guest, and at one point De 323 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 1: Nuncio even planned to include the wax figure in a 324 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: narrative that he was writing, although it appears at that project, 325 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: which was a short story, never really came to fruition, 326 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:32,760 Speaker 1: or if it did, it was lost to time. A 327 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:36,600 Speaker 1: key part of her image, particularly at all these parties, 328 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: was Laka Sati's wardrobe. There are descriptions on top of 329 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: descriptions about her dresses and her jewels and her accessories. 330 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 1: She said to have adopted the habit of shopping in 331 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,960 Speaker 1: Venice with her cheetahs wearing nothing but an incredibly luxurious 332 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: dressing gown. She's even been described at times as wearing 333 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: more perfume than clothing. This was also the period of 334 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 1: her life where she regular patronized another one of our 335 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:06,760 Speaker 1: past podcast subjects, designer Paul Poor A. Yeah, she definitely 336 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: liked to draw the eye, which was sometimes in a 337 00:20:10,400 --> 00:20:13,119 Speaker 1: wild outfit. There's an image if you if you do 338 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 1: an Internet search for her, you'll find an image of 339 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,560 Speaker 1: her in this wonderfully bizarre looking dress that's made of 340 00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,439 Speaker 1: light bulbs. But then she would also just kind of 341 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: count on using a bit of nudity to try to 342 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: get the same attention if the clothes weren't doing the trick. 343 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 1: There's one story of her at a party where she 344 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,680 Speaker 1: insisted she couldn't breathe and she just cut her dress 345 00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:35,840 Speaker 1: off of herself. So she definitely was into the exhibitionism. 346 00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:39,160 Speaker 1: She would also have outfits made by Balletus costume designer 347 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: Leon Boxed as well, and increasingly the difference between her 348 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 1: fancy dress ensembles and her everyday clothes became kind of indiscernible. 349 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 1: And at the same time, she felt her wardrobe had 350 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,639 Speaker 1: to be constantly augmented to top what had come before, 351 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:57,119 Speaker 1: so uh she was always adding to that and the 352 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,160 Speaker 1: amusement park that her palace had become, she just kept 353 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: more and more and more of everything. In addition to 354 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,159 Speaker 1: the dogs and the cheetahs, there were monkeys, birds, and 355 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: other wild cats. She then became obsessed with snakes. She 356 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:13,000 Speaker 1: started with small snakes and eventually worked her way up 357 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: to a boa constrictor. She also wanted the snakes to 358 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:20,400 Speaker 1: travel with her, and she commissioned expensive boxes from jewelers 359 00:21:20,720 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: that she could carry them with her when she ventured 360 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:28,320 Speaker 1: away from Venice. She's also alleged to have convinced a 361 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:31,719 Speaker 1: zoo in Rome to lend her a lion so that 362 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: she could have it tethered to the throne that she 363 00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: kept in her home. So, while Casati was, by all 364 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: accounts a lover of animals, comes up over and over 365 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:44,400 Speaker 1: that she loved them, the manners we have to say 366 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,560 Speaker 1: in which she kept them were obviously not kind by 367 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: today's standards. Keeping primates, confining cages, taking wildcats out on leashes, 368 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 1: making leopards pull her in a chariot, and sedating snakes 369 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:59,879 Speaker 1: so that she could wear them as jewelry are obviously 370 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 1: all very very problematic. Uh. In short, keeping exotic animals 371 00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:07,680 Speaker 1: as pets is generally a bad idea, and especially so 372 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: when they are considered fashion accessories. But for all that 373 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: extreme extravagance, Livisa always wanted more, So we're going to 374 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:17,439 Speaker 1: dive into some of the ways that she pursued it 375 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:26,120 Speaker 1: after we pause for another quick sponsor break. When even 376 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: her home wasn't an exciting enough space for her decadent 377 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: masked balls and costume parties, Cassati actually managed to get 378 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:36,920 Speaker 1: permission to use Venice's Piazza San Marco as her own 379 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: private party space. She hosted a grand ball there in September, 380 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,439 Speaker 1: which was an eighteenth century themed masquerade ball, and the 381 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,200 Speaker 1: Marquesa made a grand entrance by boat after the rest 382 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: of the guests had arrived, heralded by trumpet and accompanied 383 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:58,960 Speaker 1: by her cheetahs. Cassati also became increasingly interested in the 384 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: occult while living in Venice, and she would seek out 385 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: seances and other gatherings of like minded people all through Europe. 386 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 1: She would also invite people who seemed to have connections 387 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:11,600 Speaker 1: to the spirit world to live in her home as Venice. 388 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: In Venice as guests for long periods of time. Yeah, 389 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: she had people that lived there for years. And, perhaps 390 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: in line with her complete indulgence in her own fantasy world, 391 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:26,919 Speaker 1: is the unrest of World War One began, Luisa was 392 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,199 Speaker 1: almost indifferent to it. She was actually in Paris on 393 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:34,120 Speaker 1: August third, nineteen fourteen, when Germany declared war on France, 394 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:36,720 Speaker 1: and the next day, in her suite at the Ritz, 395 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,640 Speaker 1: she rang her bell for breakfast service, which was incidentally 396 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:42,440 Speaker 1: in the afternoon for her, and she was irritated when 397 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,400 Speaker 1: no one came to bring her food. She allegedly ran 398 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,440 Speaker 1: down into the the hotel lobby and discovered a bunch 399 00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: of soldiers there, and that same day Great Britain declared 400 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: war on Germany. Kasati really weathered the war in relative ease. 401 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: She took advantage of that time to patronize new artists 402 00:24:01,800 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: and basically continue her lavish lifestyle. In nine Cassati's sister 403 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: Francesca died during the Spanish flu epidemic. Francesca had been 404 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: the one family member that Louisa had retained a relationship with. 405 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: Although there's no real account of how the loss affected 406 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,880 Speaker 1: the Marquesa, that's something that comes up over and over. 407 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 1: There's not much recorded about her like emotional state at 408 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,960 Speaker 1: some of these times, so whether that's just because she 409 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,600 Speaker 1: kept it private because it did not add to the 410 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,399 Speaker 1: exterior mystique that she was working to cultivate or not 411 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 1: is unclear. She continued to travel the world, amazing, amusing, 412 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 1: and sometimes dismaying her hosts in various measures with her 413 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: outlandish attire, which sometimes included a walking stick that was 414 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,240 Speaker 1: almost as tall as she was, which was actually a 415 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,879 Speaker 1: flask from which she would serve herself absinthe. During a 416 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,919 Speaker 1: lengthy stay on the island of Capri, she wore only black, 417 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: and she dyed her hair bright green, but then eventually 418 00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: dar candit black as well, and her sort of bizarre 419 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,480 Speaker 1: behavior and appearance led to rumors spreading among the locals 420 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:09,399 Speaker 1: there in Capri that she actually slept in a coffin. 421 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: Though she remained her same self, the post war world 422 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: was less and less her oyster. A lot of her 423 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 1: rich friends that she had been partying with for years 424 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,360 Speaker 1: were struggling financially after World War One. They couldn't keep 425 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 1: up with her anymore, and then, to make matters worse, 426 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,400 Speaker 1: ready to wear clothing was becoming stylish, which is something 427 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: we've talked about in past episodes. Ready to wear clothes 428 00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:38,320 Speaker 1: were utter anathema to her. The custom closet of expensive 429 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: garments that she was used to having became difficult to 430 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: maintain when many designers making those garments were closing up shop. 431 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,960 Speaker 1: Her trademark white skin and red lip, which she maintained, 432 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:54,000 Speaker 1: started to look dated instead of glamorous. And at the 433 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:57,160 Speaker 1: same time, Louisa was tiring of her homes in Italy, 434 00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,560 Speaker 1: and so she purchased the Grand Tree and a and 435 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: there I, which was known as the Palais Rose because 436 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: of its pink marble exterior, and just as she had 437 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:09,040 Speaker 1: done in Venice, Casati spared no expense in creating another 438 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: spectacle of decor and indulgence. It was in the Palais 439 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,520 Speaker 1: Rose at the end of June seven, which was deep 440 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: in the decade known as n a Fool or Crazy 441 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:25,240 Speaker 1: Years in France. Casati, through a massive party called soire 442 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: Magi the Marquesa, was costumed as the Count Cagliostro, who 443 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: had been an Italian magician and a cultist in the 444 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: late seventeen hundreds. Casati Is ensemble for the event included 445 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: a crystal sword and a suit made of silver and gold. 446 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: A photographer from Vogue magazine was actually on hand to 447 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,720 Speaker 1: capture the event, but this lavish, primarily outdoor party was 448 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,320 Speaker 1: upstaged by the weather when a storm rolled in as 449 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:54,679 Speaker 1: the costume guests were conducting a parade. Everyone had to 450 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,360 Speaker 1: make a run for it, and as that storm whipped in, Cassati, 451 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,959 Speaker 1: who literally her clothes were being whipped off of her 452 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,119 Speaker 1: by this weather, brandished her sword to try to rally 453 00:27:04,160 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 1: the revelers, but then she fainted and the evening came 454 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 1: to a rapid and unpleasant clothes there were a lot 455 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 1: of other things that happened that night that did not 456 00:27:12,280 --> 00:27:16,160 Speaker 1: go well. Allegedly, one attendee even spent the night locked 457 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: in a closet for having committed this sin of wearing 458 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 1: an outfit similar to the hostess. All of this lavish living, 459 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: the costumes, the animals, the drinks, and the houses, obviously 460 00:27:28,119 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: they were expensive. Luisa soon blazed through the fortune she 461 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,960 Speaker 1: had inherited as a teenager. Byties, she had also taken 462 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: on massive debt, alleged to be as high as twenty 463 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: five million dollars in modern worth. Desperate to try to 464 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,480 Speaker 1: settle some of those debts, Kasati traded many of her 465 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,760 Speaker 1: priceless pieces of art away, and she sold items from 466 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 1: her home. She also started to borrow money from shady 467 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 1: people to try to make up gaps in her finances, 468 00:27:55,560 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: which only created worse problems. Additionally, she still could managed 469 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: to control her spending habits after a lifetime of just 470 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: throwing money around without a care. An auction was held 471 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: at the Palais Rose in December, and almost all of 472 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: the Marquesa's personal possessions were up for grabs. The Palais 473 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: Rose itself was mortgaged several months later. And passed to 474 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:23,960 Speaker 1: one of Cassatti's creditors. Luisa initially moved into an apartment 475 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: in Paris, but after just six months there she had 476 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: no permanent address in the city. She basically moved from 477 00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 1: hotel to hotel. She depended on the generosity of friends 478 00:28:34,080 --> 00:28:38,680 Speaker 1: to cover her expenses. In the person who Luisa had 479 00:28:38,720 --> 00:28:40,800 Speaker 1: been closest to for the longest length of time in 480 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:45,040 Speaker 1: her life, Gabrielle de Nunzio, died, just as with her sister. 481 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: There is no record of her reaction to this passing, 482 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: and she did not attend his funeral. Meanwhile, Camilo Casati 483 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: had remarried and settled into a quiet life. Christina Casati 484 00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:00,520 Speaker 1: had married Frances Hastings, the sixteenth Earl of Huntington, and 485 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: and Marquesa. Casati would sometimes visit them in their home 486 00:29:03,440 --> 00:29:07,320 Speaker 1: in Britain. In nineteen thirty four, Hastings painted a portrait 487 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 1: of Luisa. Yeah, so she had a relationship with her daughter, 488 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 1: but it seems like it was to my reading, it 489 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 1: feels almost like um here is my odd distant relative 490 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: than than like the closeness that a mother and daughter 491 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 1: would normally share. Uh And eventually to escape her debts 492 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:30,200 Speaker 1: in France and Italy, and a reputation that had been 493 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,520 Speaker 1: built on a lifetime of invited gossip that then at 494 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: this point made her basically a pariah in high society. 495 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 1: Cassati moved permanently to Great Britain, although it's unclear exactly 496 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: when this move happened. By two she was destitute, and 497 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,959 Speaker 1: by the late nineteen fifties be Satti was living in 498 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: London in a series of small flats. She never stayed 499 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: in one for very long. Over the intervening years, she 500 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: had subsisted on small, regular donations of money from her friends. 501 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,560 Speaker 1: They wanted to keep her from having to bet, but 502 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 1: they knew that if they gave her lump sums, she 503 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,320 Speaker 1: would just spend it all and then be back to 504 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: asking for help. The ones exquisitely outfited. Marquesa was sometimes 505 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,320 Speaker 1: seem rummaging and trash bins for bits of velvet or 506 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 1: lace to adorn herself, and there are numerous accounts, even 507 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:20,000 Speaker 1: from the people who loved her dearly, of her ongoing 508 00:30:20,080 --> 00:30:24,040 Speaker 1: substance abuse. She could be at turns her most charming 509 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: and delightful self, or an angry and unpredictable specter of 510 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: her former glory. Her daughter Christina, who had divorced and 511 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: remarried at this point, helped her mother as she could, 512 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,080 Speaker 1: but then Christina died of breast cancer in nineteen fifty three, 513 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 1: and her later years, Marquesa Louisa Casati was largely cut 514 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,840 Speaker 1: off for most of the society that had once celebrated her, 515 00:30:47,480 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: she no longer corresponded. She had started believing she was telepathic. 516 00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 1: She engaged in seances with a handful of friends and 517 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: acquaintances who were making up her social circle by the 518 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: end of her life. She died of a stroke on 519 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: June one, nineteen fifty seven, at the age of seventy six. 520 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: A friend and frequent seance participant named Sydney Farmer snuck 521 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 1: into her home after learning that she had died, and 522 00:31:11,360 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: took her Pekinese dog, which was taxidermy in a pair 523 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:17,480 Speaker 1: of false eyelashes, which he then spruced up. This was 524 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: not to steal them, but to make sure that someone 525 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:23,400 Speaker 1: who knew and cared about her preserved them for her funeral. 526 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,720 Speaker 1: Marchesa Casati was buried five days after she died, with 527 00:31:27,760 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 1: the taxidermy dog and the false eyelashes dressed in black 528 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: and Leopard at Brompton Cemetery, one of the oldest garden 529 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:39,240 Speaker 1: cemeteries in London. Among those in attendance, which was a 530 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: very small number, was Emilio Vasodila, who was Kasati's gondolier 531 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: from Venice. Luisa's Venice home was purchased in nineteen forty 532 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:53,240 Speaker 1: nine by Peggy Guggenheim. Was Guggenheim's home for thirty years, 533 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: and beginning in nineteen fifty one, the American socialite would 534 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:59,080 Speaker 1: open her Venice home, which was filled with art, to 535 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: the public. In nine eighty one, year after Guggenheim died, 536 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: it was open to the public for good as the 537 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,160 Speaker 1: Guggenheim Museum, which it remains today. So if you wish 538 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: to walk in Marquesa Luisa Casati's decadent footsteps, you can 539 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: still visit her former residence in Venice. Yeah. As I 540 00:32:18,840 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 1: was talking about her to a number of people, particularly 541 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: over the weekend, I saw a lot of friends and 542 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: several of them have traveled throughout Italy and I was saying, oh, 543 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:29,960 Speaker 1: you know, have you been to the Guggenheim in Venice. 544 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: They would go, yes, it's amazing, and I'm like, that 545 00:32:31,640 --> 00:32:34,400 Speaker 1: is where she lived, and they would go Holy Moses, 546 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,000 Speaker 1: because it's an impressive structure. If you have ever heard 547 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: of the fashion brand Marquesa, it is named after her. 548 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:46,480 Speaker 1: Many many designers have used Luisa Kasati as inspiration for 549 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: their collections, and there has been speculation that her unique look, 550 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,000 Speaker 1: tall and gaunt, was a big part of what drove 551 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 1: the fashion industry to seek out models exclusively of that 552 00:32:56,600 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: body type for many years. Writer Quentin crisp To described 553 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,200 Speaker 1: Cassatti in the forward to her biography as quote a 554 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: picturesque ruin of a woman. They also made a really 555 00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: insightful observation that goes a long way and examining how 556 00:33:10,280 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 1: a woman who in her youth seemed set to live 557 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: a secure, conventional life ended up taking such a dramatically 558 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: different path. Chris wrote, quote without question, the Marquesa Casati 559 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 1: was an exhibitionist, but exhibitionism is a potent drug. After 560 00:33:24,240 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 1: a short time, a dose strong enough to kill a 561 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:31,719 Speaker 1: novice no longer works. And in a similar sentiment, painter 562 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: and illustrator Alberto Martini, who of course we mentioned in 563 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: the episode, she knew he was one of the many 564 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 1: artists that she became friends with, and he actually worked 565 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,800 Speaker 1: as Cassati's personal painter for a time. Wrote in his 566 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: autobiography that the Marquesa quote lived partly as a slave 567 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,800 Speaker 1: to her dream world. And finally, Jean Cocteau once wrote 568 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:55,000 Speaker 1: of Marquesa Luisa Casati, she astonished, she did not please. 569 00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 1: So that's the Marquesa Louisa Cassatti who is a mind 570 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:04,440 Speaker 1: bender for me. She's very fascinating. It's one of those 571 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: things where you kind of want to love her, but 572 00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: then you're like, oof, it's difficult. I think probably many 573 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:13,520 Speaker 1: people in her life felt the same way. Um. I 574 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 1: am an assortment of postcards for listener mails, so we're 575 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:17,400 Speaker 1: not going to read them all. I just want to 576 00:34:17,400 --> 00:34:20,320 Speaker 1: make sure people know we're getting them. We can't always 577 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: acknowledge all of them, but I want people to at 578 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:25,319 Speaker 1: least a handful of people to know we got their postcards. 579 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,600 Speaker 1: So first, we got a lovely postcard from Taylor from 580 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: the Dallas Museum of Art, which is all the submarines 581 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: of the United States of America. It's a really cool display. 582 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:36,840 Speaker 1: We love the Dallas Museum of Art. We did a 583 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: live show there and it was absolute heaven. So thank you, 584 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:43,600 Speaker 1: Thank you for that Taylor. Uh. We got a postcard 585 00:34:43,640 --> 00:34:46,200 Speaker 1: from the Freemantle Prison, which we've talked about before on 586 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:49,480 Speaker 1: the show. Uh from our listener page, so thank you, 587 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,040 Speaker 1: thank you for that as well. Uh. We love a 588 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 1: little international mail. This one, of course is from Western Australia. Uh. 589 00:34:56,200 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: Next up, what do I have? I have a hilaria 590 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,200 Speaker 1: this image of a sheep that is waiting for a 591 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,120 Speaker 1: letter from U E W E UM and it just 592 00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:09,680 Speaker 1: made me chuckle and was delightful. That is from our 593 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:12,799 Speaker 1: listener Lily. Lily, thank you so so much. It is 594 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:17,400 Speaker 1: really terribly cute. I I love a cookie animal postcard 595 00:35:17,440 --> 00:35:20,680 Speaker 1: for sure. We also got a really beautiful postcard from 596 00:35:20,719 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: Stockholm from our listener Mads, which is a fabulous image 597 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,920 Speaker 1: of ships, the Royal ship Vassa and a little bit 598 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,800 Speaker 1: of a sinking situation. I mean, I'll know that everybody 599 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,200 Speaker 1: loves a little maritime drama. And then we got a 600 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:35,880 Speaker 1: cool thing in the mail that I am actually going 601 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:39,080 Speaker 1: to hand off to Tracy. Our listener Sarah sent us 602 00:35:39,440 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 1: uh pass for a free visit visit to the Strawberry 603 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 1: Bonk Museum which is good until the thirty one, and 604 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 1: that is in New Hampshire, which is much closer to 605 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:50,680 Speaker 1: Tracy than is to me. So I'm going to hand 606 00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: it off to her when I see her in a 607 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:54,920 Speaker 1: couple of days, because the likelihood is greater that she 608 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:57,080 Speaker 1: will get there than I will. Thank you, Thank you, 609 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,200 Speaker 1: thank you to everyone who sends us postcards. I wish 610 00:35:59,200 --> 00:36:01,800 Speaker 1: we could read them all all, or even just acknowledge 611 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:04,560 Speaker 1: them all, but that is literally impossible. We would literally 612 00:36:04,560 --> 00:36:08,839 Speaker 1: have a podcast called here are Postcards. Uh. It would 613 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:12,239 Speaker 1: go for seventeen seasons and eventually it would become a 614 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,399 Speaker 1: little bit difficult to track. So we can't do it, 615 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: but we try our best. If you would like to 616 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 1: write to us, you can do so at History Podcast 617 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:21,719 Speaker 1: at House to Work dot com. You can also find 618 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,720 Speaker 1: us across the spectrum of social media as Missed in History. 619 00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:27,439 Speaker 1: You can also visit us in our little home on 620 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,439 Speaker 1: the web, which is Missed in History dot com, where 621 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:32,520 Speaker 1: we have show notes for all of the episodes Tracy 622 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: and I have worked on, as well as the entire 623 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,399 Speaker 1: back catalog of the show from its inception many many 624 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:39,640 Speaker 1: years ago. So we encourage you come and hang out 625 00:36:39,640 --> 00:36:46,879 Speaker 1: with us at missed in History dot com For more 626 00:36:46,920 --> 00:36:49,840 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics visit housetop works 627 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 1: dot com.