"SKITTLES" CATHERINE WALTERS

Catherine Walters. Photograph Pierre Petit. Paris

"Skittles"Catherine Walters (1839-1920)

She was the last of the great courtesans of Victorian London. Her benefactors included leaders of political parties and a member of the British royal family, and her classical beauty was matched by her notoriety as a horsewoman. In the 1860s the fascinating sight of Skittles riding on Rotten Row in Hyde Park drew huge crowds of sightseers, and her skin tight riding habits, sans underwear, were copied by aristocratic ladies. She counted among her lovers the Marquess of Hartington, the future Edward VII, Napoleon III, and the poet Wilfrid Blunt. During her life as a courtesan, her discretion and loyalty to her benefactors became the focal point of her career. This gave her great weight in the courtesan lifestyle and made her a much sought after commodity.

"SKITTLES" CATHERINE WALTERS

"Skittles"Catherine Walters (1839-1920)

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