COURTESANS and OLD AGE : BOOK EXCERPT : THE BOOK OF COURTESANS

Page 121

... "Many courtesans were very good at financial planning. More than a few were able to end their days on this earth in the style to which they had become accustomed... Still others relied on the generosity of younger courtesans for whom they arranged liaisons. And from the 15th century through the 20th, another way existed for a courtesan to face old age with dignity. Like any profession, the art was handed down. If she were fortunate enough to have a daughter, a courtesan could train her in all the necessary skills and thus ensure a means of support in her old age."

"If ... motherly love this tradition seems wanting, one must remember that, under the weight of the restricted and difficult circumstances that women endured in this period, much of what any mother bequeathed her daughter was of mixed value. Never the less, even if being a courtesan was considered by some as preferable to marriage, there were mothers who did try to avoid passing on their professions."


Susan Griffin
The Book of Courtesans : A Catalogue of Their Virtues