Step into the almost private world of the Hotel de la Païva

Esther Pauline Blanche Lachmann, better known as La Païva, was a famous courtesan of the Second Empire, whose legend, written during her lifetime, has continued to fuel the wildest fantasies. Probably born in 1819 in the Moscow ghetto to a modest family, married and a mother, at only 20 years old, the young woman embarked on a remarkable journey across Europe before arriving in Paris, where she learned the world's oldest profession and climbed the ranks of courtesanship, from Lorette to Lionne.

From husband to husband (a pianist and concert performer, a "marquis" and then a count), she built a reputation and, above all, a fortune, which culminated in 1855 with the construction, by the architect Pierre Manguin, of her private mansion, intended to become "the most beautiful in Paris," on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

On a narrow plot of land financed by her own fortune, supplemented by that of her last husband, Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, who financed the mansion itself, this masterpiece would become a veritable jewel box befitting its owner: flamboyant, eclectic, and legendary. Where historicist references (Renaissance, Gothic, 17th century, Orientalism), so dear to 19th-century eclecticism, jostle for position, and alongside precious materials (onyx, malachite, silver, etc.), the Hôtel de Païva would quickly become a must-visit destination for Parisian high society, to the point of arousing the envy of Empress Eugénie and Princess Mathilde.

But beyond the often petty nicknames given by writers of the time, starting with the inimitable Goncourt brothers ("Louvre of the backside," "La Païva, who pays, goes"), what secrets truly lie hidden behind the doors of this relatively discreet hotel on the world's most famous avenue? Is it true that La Païva posed for some of the works hanging in her grand salon or dining room? What is the actual purpose of the third tap adorning her bathtub, whose silver basin is inlaid in onyx (a remarkable creation by Christofle)?

This is what I propose you discover on a 1.5-hour guided tour. Please note that these tours are only available on Saturday and Sunday mornings, as the hotel is owned by a gentlemen's club, the Travellers Club. Feel free to contact me with any questions.