In 1847 the novel The Lady of the Camellias was published and became a sensation. It was written by Alexandre Dumas fils the son of the celebrated author of  The Three Musketeers, but that wasn’t the only thing that made it a bestseller.

The younger Dumas had had an affair with Marie Duplessis – a recently deceased courtesan known for her delicate beauty and her love of a camellias. (Click the “read more” button to see the rest.)