Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld, better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Gräfin von Landsfeld. At the start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, she was forced to flee. She proceeded to the United States via Austria, Switzerland, France and London, to return to her work as an entertainer and lecturer.
Lola Montez photographed by Antoine Samuel Adam-Salomon, 1860
Lola Montez portrait by Joseph Heigel [de] before 1840
Lola Montez's lithography
Lola Montez with Alights-on-a-Cloud, 1850s
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a kept mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically also referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person.
Veronica Franco, famous Venetian poet and courtesan. Portrait by Paolo Veronese.
Courtesans with their servants by Lancelot Volders
Olympe Pélissier (Vernet, 1830) was described by Balzac as "the most beautiful courtesan in Paris". In 1846, she married Rossini.
Lais of Corinth by Hans Holbein the Younger, Kunstmuseum Basel