Portrait of Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, from Michele Gordigiani (1862)
In the glittering salons of Second Empire Paris, one woman captivated emperors, scandalized society, and revolutionized the art of photography. Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione, was far more than just another beautiful aristocrat...
Born in 1837 to Tuscan nobility, Virginia was affectionately called 'Virginicchia' by her family—later shortened to simply 'Nicchia'—before she married Francesco Verasis, Count of Castiglione, when she was only 17 y.o.
But the countess's destiny lay beyond her marriage. In 1855, her cousin, the Italian statesman Camillo Benso di Cavour, sent her to Paris with a secret mission: to seduce Emperor Napoleon III and secure French support for Italian unification.
What followed was one of history's most extraordinary careers in self-invention. The Countess didn't just secure an alliance that would change her country – she became famous in all Parisian society, a fashion trendsetter, and the subject of over 400 photographs that documented her every mood and costume.
Virginia's true genius lay in understanding the power of image. She collaborated with photographer Pierre-Louis Pierson to create an extraordinary visual autobiography, controlling every aspect of her representation, camera angle and even repainting some of the photos into her artistic visions. Today more than 300 pictures of hers are preserved in the Metropolitan museum of Art.
So for today let's find out 5 fascinating curiosities about this extravagant woman!
1. Her Obsession with Purple and Extravagant Fashion
The Countess had a particular obsession with the color purple, which she wore in every shade imaginable.
Her fashion choices were notoriously extravagant and theatrical - enormous crinolines, elaborate headdresses, and costumes so over-the-top that even by Second Empire standards they were considered excessive. What might seem exaggerated or theatrical to modern eyes was her way of commanding attention and creating her personal "character".
Beyond fashion - she was also a talented sculptor, as I mentioned when writing about Worth's famous clients...
2. Fashion as Performance Art
The Countess was photographed in both contemporary fashion and elaborate historical fantasies – she loved dressing as everything from Renaissance noblewomen to Oriental princesses, creating a visual encyclopedia of feminine looks. Those historical costumes were usually reimagined as 19th century people would think of the past (it was a habit of Victorian era to make those costumes more contemporary to them and we still do it nowadays many times for theatre, or cinema).
Her theatrical costumes sometimes had enourmous budgets and they were always carefully planned to tell specific stories, here are some photos of her dressed in specific roles and one in contemporary fashion:
 "La Finlandaise" |
 The Queen of Etruria |
Portrait of the Countess |
"Regina della Notte" |
"The Marquise Mathilde", 1861-1867, by Pierre-Louis Pierson.
3. She Lived a Very Reserved Life for Her Final Years
After her beauty began to fade, she gradually withdrew from society entirely, living as a hermit in her Paris apartment, surrounded by portraits of her younger self.
According to some accounts, she had all the mirrors in her home covered so she wouldn't have to see her reflection, but for other historians it is a myth. It is certainly true though that she preferred to live surrounded by images, items and dresses of her former glory. In her final years, it seems she would venture out only under cover of darkness - sometimes dressed in strange outfits and in a mad state-, unable to bear being seen in daylight. Time became her greatest enemy. She viewed turning 40 as entering old age, becoming increasingly obsessed with what she saw as her 'imminent death'. She reportedly wrote and tore up multiple wills, constantly lamenting her fate. She began acting more and more strangely - probably a symptom of mental illness.
Interestingly, after 25 years away from photography, she decided to work again with Pierson in her final years. But these last sessions showed how much she had changed - her judgment was no longer sharp and her mental state had deteriorated. She even had the ambitious dream of creating a grand exhibition called "The Most Beautiful Woman of the Century" for the 1900 World's Fair, showcasing all her photographic work.
Sadly, she never saw this dream come true. She died in 1899 from a stroke, just one year before the exhibition.
Scherzo di Follia, 1863.
4. She Inspired Countless Artists and Writers
Beyond her visual impact, Virginia possessed a sharp intellect and spoke multiple languages fluently, allowing her to engage with artists, writers, and intellectuals across Europe. However, she was also notably voluble, often shifting from one passion to another with very intensity.
Her story influenced everyone from Marcel Proust, Gabriele d' Annunzio, to contemporary fashion photographers. The poet Robert de Montesquiou wrote one of her biographies, La Divine Comtesse (published in 1913) and collected many of her photos.
5. She Kept Secret Coded Documents
The Countess maintained a private diary written in code, where she documented her numerous love affairs - some historians estimate she had over 30 lovers throughout her life. But her passion for secrecy extended beyond personal matters: she also possessed encrypted political correspondence with important figures of her era.
The value of these coded documents became evident in her final years, when thieves repeatedly broke into her apartments - not to steal jewelry or valuables, but specifically to search for her encrypted letters and notes. This proves she possessed secrets that were worth stealing - a woman who knew too much about too many powerful people.
The Countess of Castiglione remains one of the most captivating figures of the Victorian era. While her aesthetic and style may seem foreign to modern eyes, her influence on society and politics was profound and lasting.
See you next Friday for another dive into fashion history!
Bibliography and Sources:
- Arrigo Petacco, L'amante dell'Imperatore. Amori, intrighi e segreti della contessa di Castiglione
- Massimo Grillandi, La Contessa di Castiglione
- Wikipedia
- For more images of the Countess of Castiglione, visit my Pinterest collection
- A beautiful dress of the Countess from Lacma collection
- An article from Met museum