Any 19th century sleuths out there?!

[kenobi]

Honestly - academics! Just read the lovely (and delightfully short) La Dame Aux Camelias by Alexandre Dumas which is about a youthful love affair. I hadn't finished my train journey so I read the foreword.

The (male) professor who wrote the foreword states that the love interest was based on Marie DuPlessis, a courtesan. Apparently she carried white camelias when in her box at the opera, except for 5 days a month, when she carried red camelias, and according to him, no-one knows why.

Erm... can anyone think of why a courtesan might carry red camelias 5 days a month?! Anyone?!

At the risk of being very coarse, she was a courtesan sooo maybe the red ones were to signal her "unavailability" on certain days? Bit too literal perhaps?

I'm thinking that kenobi is intimating that (male) professor is being exceedingly dim and/or displaying his lack of knowledge of menstrual cycles.

I could be wrong. I shall eat masses of humble pie if someone comes up with another solution. But surely... surely it's got to be her period?

And yes I am being very rude and insinuating all sorts of ivory tower-ishness to the prof in question!

I'm sure you're right too! It does conjure up the image of an ageing bachelor in an old tweed jacket .

I looked DuPlessis up in my copy of Katie Hickman' Courtesans, but it's only about British women (and a recommended good read BTW).

There is a book about the most famous 19th century Parisian courtesans (including DuPlessis) called Les Grandes Horizontales if you wanted to check further. It's on Amazon for 1p.

Sorry - did wonder as I'm usually nodding in vigorous agreement with your posts

Perhaps he was like John Ruskin (it was Ruskin who was horrified by actual women, wasn't it?).

Yes it was to demonstrate her availability !

The subject came up on QI last season & as Stephen Fry is such a pedant I'm sure it MUST be right!!

5 days a month is a dead giveaway isn't it?

Northern....to a women -yes!

Ahh, so it has come up before. I felt like writing to this chap but hopefully he's had it pointed out to him by now!

Yes good old Ruskin, horrified by pubic hair. He'd have been right at home in our modern dilapidatory age not

From QI website!

yes of course it was - don't know where the prof has been hiding but the symbolism was known yonks ago. and I mean yonks - long before I did English in past century