Abstract: The time has come to pull Mœurs de mon temps (1882) from oblivion, which constitutes the first part of Mémoires d’un vieil homme de lettres and brings a personal light to the wings adjoining the stage of Second-Empire society in particular. Maxime Du Camp got the substance for this series of anecdotes and portraits by listening to the confidences of courtesans and remarks made in Parisian salons. Two contrasting destinies, that of Louise Pradier and that of Païva, are presented here.
