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List of prostitutes and courtesans

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This list of prostitutes and courtesans includes famous persons who have engaged in prostitution and courtesan work.

Historical

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Ancient world

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Roman copy of the Aphrodite of Cnidus. Phryne was the model.
Further information: List of prostitutes and courtesans of antiquity

Early Modern era

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Nell Gwyn
 
Madame du Barry

19th century

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Famous nude painting of Emma Dupont by Jean-Léon Gérôme on his original canvas with scratches

20th century

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Xaviera Hollander
  • Elizabeth Adams, (1933 or 1934–July 8, 1995), also known as Madam Alex, Hollywood madam
  • Polly Adler, New York madam, 1920s to 1940s
  • Josie Arlington, madam in Storyville, New Orleans
  • Kimberly Daniels, former sex worker and drug addict who became a prolific author, religious minister and member of the Florida House of Representatives; introduced successful legislation to put "In God We Trust" in Florida school classrooms
  • Anette Dawn, make-up artist, ceramist and professional sex worker
  • Zahia Dehar, Algerian-French fashion and lingerie designer and model
  • Carolin Ebert, a.k.a. Sexy Cora, German former prostitute, pornographic actress and reality show participant
  • Heidi Fleiss, a.k.a. the "Hollywood Madam", ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles during the 1990s
  • Suzy Favor Hamilton, middle-distance runner in three Olympic Games, the subject of intense publicity when her activities as an escort became public
  • Mata Hari (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch spy
  • Gangubai Harjeevandas, a prostitute, an Indian social activist and madam of a brothel in the Kamathipura area of Mumbai during the 1960s
  • Xaviera Hollander, author of the memoir The Happy Hooker: My Own Story
  • La Macorina, Cuban courtesan, 1910s to 1930s
  • Carol Leigh, a.k.a. Scarlot Harlot, coined the term "sex worker"[2]
  • Molly Luft, German prostitute, brothel owner and television personality
  • Brooke Magnanti, blogger and scientist who wrote as Belle de Jour and was the inspiration for Billie Piper's character in Secret Diary of a Call Girl
  • Domenica Niehoff, German prostitute, dominatrix, sex worker rights activist and television personality
  • María de la Caridad Norberta Pacheco Sánchez, a.k.a. Caridad la Negra, Spanish prostitute and madam, early to mid-20th century
  • Barbara Payton, American actress turned prostitute[3]
  • Charlotte Rose, an English sex worker, dominatrix, sexual trainer and political candidate
  • Liara Roux, American prostitute, sex worker rights activist and author in New York
  • Deanne Salinger, aka Air Force Amy, a legal prostitute in Nevada, pornographic actress, and adult model, who starred in the HBO television documentary series Cathouse: The Series. MSNBC has called her "a living legend in the world of sex."
  • Margo St. James, activist and sex worker
  • Ellen F. Steinberg, a.k.a. Annie Sprinkle, American former sex worker, porn star, and sex educator and writer
  • Valérie Tasso, French author
  • Estella Marie Thompson, also known as Divine Brown, an American and former prostitute who gained public attention in 1995 when actor Hugh Grant was caught receiving oral sex from her in his car
  • Sheila Vogel-Coupe, at 85+ the oldest prostitute in the United Kingdom and, possibly, the world
  • Clara Ward, Princesse de Caraman-Chimay, daughter of a Michigan lumberman who spent most of her life in Europe
  • Lulu White, madam in Storyville, New Orleans

Biblical figures

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Fictional characters

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In literature

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Vasantasena from the Sanskrit play Mṛcchakatika

In film, television, and musical theater

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Symbolic or allegorical prostitutes

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In myth and legend

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  • Agatha - English prostitute, mother of Mother Shipton
  • Basileia (Ancient Greece) - in Pandemos, this goddess was mainly a goddess for prostitutes or courtesans[5]
  • Bebhinn (Celts of the British Isles) - the goddess of pleasure
  • Naamah (Hebrews) - an angel of prostitution, one of the succubus mates of the demon Samael in Zoharistic Qabalah
  • Rahab, Biblical prostitute who assisted the Hebrews in capturing Jericho (Joshua 2:1–7)
  • Shamhat (Sumer/Babylon)[6]
  • Xochiquetzal (Aztecs) - the goddess of prostitutes, pregnant women, and dancing
  • Alexandra Dé Broussehan (Irish Celts) - a woman turned spirit of prostitution, caused a war between the Callahan and Lawlor clans, and often associated with Korrigan whose worship involved sacred prostitution[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Commire, Anne, ed. (2002). "Jeanne Brécourt". Women in World History: A biographical encyclopedia.
  2. ^ Welcome to the World of Scarlot Harlot, her own web site, accessed 28 August 2006; Carol Leigh, Unrepentant Whore: Collected Works Of Scarlot Harlot, Last Gasp, 2004.
  3. ^ O'Dowd, John. "Hollywood Bad Girl Barbara Payton".
  4. ^ Filteau, Jerry "Scholars seek to correct Christian tradition on Mary Magdalene," Catholic News Service May 1, 2006. [1]
  5. ^ McNeill, Maggie (23 December 2010). "Whore Goddesses". The Honest Courtesan. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  6. ^ Ditmore, Melissa Hope (ed), Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, Volume 1, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, pp.34-5.
  7. ^ Charles Squire Celtic Myth and Legend

Bibliography

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